re: ATL Thread 8/31 | Braves (Strider) @ Dodgers (Frick) | 10:10 pm ET

NEVER A DOUBT!






Narrator: There was very much doubt

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Feels like a series that’s going to be way overanalyzed and overreacted to by the fanbases. Neither team is playing for much as there are clear advantages and disadvantages to both the 1 and 2 seed in the NL. Should be fun but these games are not going to be managed or approached like playoff games, despite the media buildup. I’m sure we will hear this “feels like a playoff series” 100+ times over the next 4 days.

Let’s also remember that the 2021 Braves were swept in LA in September. Would be nice to win 2 or 3 but these games are no more or less important than our series at home against the Pirates next week.

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Everything that guy said before the game—was total bullshite.

This series is a lot less stressful with the Braves winning game one. Huge win and a tremendous road trip.

I mean how sweet is Franco’s gig? That dude is living his best life.

I honestly didn’t watch much of the game after the Acuña homer but I’m guessing I’m wrong because it was actually a playoff game since we won? Wow, we are 5 games up on them now instead of 4. What a huge mental edge we are going to have in 50 days!

We are the best team in the sport without much of a doubt but I really don’t understand correlating this series with a playoff series.

We have seen year after year how little the playoffs have to do with anything we see in the regular season.

Last year we were one of the best second half teams of all time and “got a taste of the playoffs” in a huge measuring stick series against the Mets and then we were totally lifeless in the actual playoffs.

The year before that a gaggle of career mid to high .700s OPS guys collectively turned into Barry Bonds for a month and our bullpen which had the worst ERA of any team in the playoffs became “the night shift”

The purpose of the regular season is to put yourself in the most advantageous spot you can over a super long season and formulate the best playoff roster you can. We have done a very good job of both of those things. We definitely have the advantage of having more good players than any other team which is an advantage but once you get to the actual playoffs they are far more random than we want to admit. I don’t think anyone actually thinks that the outcome of tonight’s game is somehow going to impact any results in the playoffs.

The home field argument is one that can be had but we can go in circles all day about which of the top 2 NL slots is actually going to be better.

Man, Ben Ingram is one of the best PBP guys going right now. I know he likes the radio style and I'm glad he wants to stick around with us, but he could be a national star. His call on Acunas home run was awesome.

Glad to see a W this morning. Sounds like it got hairy.

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I obviously hope Ronnie wins it, but Betts has an almost 40 point edge in OPS right now and has been leaps and bounds better than Ronnie defensively (outside of his arm Ronnie has pretty much sucked defensively this year). If Ronnie has an edge over Mookie right now it will purely be due to the sportswriters being overly enamored with his steals.

But, long way to go as you said.

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Betts and Freeman will cancel each other out and Ronnie will win.