Batting Around: Will the Braves make the MLB playoffs or will recent slump lose Atlanta a wild-card spot?

Throughout the season the CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable breaking down pretty much anything. The latest news, a historical question, thoughts about the future of baseball, all sorts of stuff. Last week we discussed the struggling Phillies. This week we’re going to tackle the Braves and their postseason hopes.

Will the Braves make the postseason?

Dayn Perry: I think they will. The offense, while not great, has been pretty unlucky on multiple levels, and that could correct itself at any moment. The rotation is getting healthier, too, and the remaining schedule isn’t very tough. Yes, the Braves badly miss their two injured superstars, and the NL East title is all but out of reach. However, they still look like the best team on paper among the clubs contending for that third and final wild-card spot in the NL.

R.J. Anderson: Despite the injuries and despite the prolonged underperformance from several key contributors, I do believe they’ll make the playoffs. As Dayn wrote, they’re the most talented team on paper among those in contention for the final spot. That doesn’t always matter, but it often decides how these things go — especially when you take their remaining schedule (the second weakest in the entire NL) into account.

Matt Snyder: I’ll say no. With Matt Olson having a lost season, the lineup after the top three spots is dreadful and even if Olson bounces back, it’s incredibly top-heavy. The depth in the rotation is scary, too, because with Reynaldo López hurt and the possibility of Max Fried going down again, you’re left with Charlie Morton, who is 40, rookie Spencer Schwellenbach (who knows when he hits a wall?) and Chris Sale, who hadn’t gone more than 102 2/3 innings since 2019. He’s at 134 2/3 this year at age 35.

With the Diamondbacks and Padres cruising, that only leaves one spot for the Braves. I don’t really trust the Mets, Cardinals or Giants, but I’ll say the Braves play poorly enough that one of them (or the Cubs or Reds) finds a way to sneak in while the Braves miss out.

Mike Axisa: I lean no as well. They’ve been a sub-.500 team since mid-May and they’ve played arguably their worst baseball of the season in August, so things are getting worse, not better. Getting only two starts from Spencer Strider and 49 games from Ronald Acuña Jr. is really, really tough. Losing a top-five pitcher and a top-five position player that early in the season takes its toll. Add in other long-term injuries (Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, etc.) and underperformers (Matt Olson), and yeah, I’m worried.

The Mets are right there with the Braves in the wild-card race, and although believing in the Mets has burned me countless times over the years, I just like their offense and health more than I like Atlanta’s. The season series is tied 5-5 and they’ll play three games at Truist Park from Sept. 24-26. That’s the penultimate series of the regular season. The team that wins that series positions themselves better in the wild-card race and also clinches the tiebreaker, which is like adding another game in the standings. I can’t say I expect the Cardinals or Cubs to make a real run at a wild-card spot. I think it’s Braves vs. Mets for one spot and I think the Mets are in better shape right now. I say Atlanta falls short of the postseason.