Playoff odds for the Braves are below 20 percent (at least by most systems, maybe not all, eh). They’re third in the division. They’re below .500. But the schedule rolls on. They need to win this game, and then many other games, to keep the season relevant. But first things first.
Both Max Fried and Carlos Martinez come into this game with really whiplash-inducing 2021 seasons to date. That gives little indication as to how this game will go, but the Braves are at home and have been far more productive than the Redbirds to date despite the teams’ respective records (the Braves have nearly three more fWAR-wins through the first 40 percent or so of the season), so if things work out as expected (they never do), a victory seems in the.