Despite bookend struggles, Braves A-OK in August

With most of the 2022 season in the books, my feelings regarding the effect the new expanded playoff format has had on the proceedings are unsettled. The Braves’ playoff odds hit 90 percent on June 30; they haven’t been lower than 94 percent since. In the NL as a whole, there aren’t really “races” but for seeing whether the Brewers can knock the Phillies or Padres out of the final playoff spot. Probably the most relevant “race” is whether the Braves can overtake the Mets, thus likely grabbing a first-round playoff bye. So, the season’s kind of weird: the Braves are simultaneously just playing out the string, as they have been for over a month now, while also engaged in probably the most exciting “chase” in the NL. This is not my preferred postseason format, to say the least.

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