Braves impress in series wins over top competitors Dodgers, Cubs

But these days, aside from missing some talented players because of injury, the Braves can’t complain about much on the field. They went 6-3 on a recent western swing that included a trip to their house of horrors, Dodger Stadium.

The Braves took the series there. Then they took two of three from the once-hot Cubs at Truist Park in their return home. So they went 4-2 against their fellow division leaders, the Dodgers and Cubs, over the past week.

Indeed, Los Angeles and Chicago might be the Braves’ primary competition for the National League pennant down the road, so these series were meaningful.

This comes with the obvious caveat that head-to-head success in May is irrelevant by October. Still, one can only examine the Braves from the available sample size — and it’s been impressive.

“There are always litmus tests along the way when you play these really good teams,” manager Walt Weiss said. “Of course, that’s always the case with the Dodgers, especially when you have to go into L.A. It’s so difficult going in there, it’s just a different atmosphere, and they’re really good. So to take a series there, I think, says something.

“You don’t want to put too much on it. And once October starts — and look, we have to get there first — but once that starts, everyone is at zero. It really doesn’t matter what you did during the season against a team. Now, you’re going to face the best pitchers in their rotation and bullpen every night. So it’s a different deal. But it certainly gives us confidence moving forward over the six-month regular season that we’re right there with the best teams in the game. And we’re playing that way.”

What a start to this season. No, it hasn’t been perfect, but that means there’s room for growth despite all the success. There are stars who’ve yet to sustain their finest form (see: Austin Riley, Ronald Acuña Jr.). There are injured players who will return (imagine a fully operational Spencer Schwellenbach in this rotation, and Acuña at his best back in the lineup). There are outs not to be relinquished on the bases.

There are youngsters gaining experience and pitching depth galore. There are veterans on track for career-best seasons, and while some might regress toward the mean, it’s easy to envision how other improvements could offset that possibility.

The new-look coaching staff, led by Weiss, deserves its flowers. The crew has maximized its talent thus far. It’s overseeing the best team in baseball, one that’s above average in every facet. Local fans have seen 100-win teams around here; this is what they look like.

The 2023 team was a special regular-season unit, but it simply outmashed the opposition. This team, so far, appears more complete.

It’s capable of winning in any necessary fashion. And it doesn’t get derailed by one or two bits of misfortune on any one night. It exhibited those qualities while winning four of six over the past two series. (And weirdly enough, the two losses came with all-world ace Chris Sale and his 1.96 ERA on the mound. As said, not a flawless stretch.)

These series victories require some context. The Braves didn’t face the Dodgers’ best starters. And Blake Snell, a multi-time Cy Young winner, was rusty in his season debut against them.

That traces back to Weiss’ point that October isn’t comparable: The Dodgers would rely on Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a postseason series, for instance. The Braves opposed Emmet Sheehan (who performed well) and Justin Wrobleski in two of the three games in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers’ offense has been a shell of itself, as well. Ohtani has struggled at the plate. Mookie Betts is sidelined. Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Kyle Tucker will eventually go on hot streaks. The Braves caught the Dodgers at a good time.

Chicago had won 10 straight games before the Rangers cooled them off entering this week’s series at Truist Park. The Cubs had been held scoreless in 20 straight innings as they traveled to Atlanta. They scored five runs across three games here.

The Cubs’ rotation, too, has been depleted by injury, so expect to see them linked to numerous starting-pitcher trades come July.

Do these circumstances discredit the Braves’ wins? Of course not. It’s just the sport’s reality over a six-month season. It’s a testament to the Braves, even, that they’ve avoided the lows endured by other good teams. The slip-up in Seattle remains this club’s only series loss. And the Braves could be even better by the time they reach the postseason.

“There is a bit of a barometer when you play these great teams, but I also say a lot of times it’s more about when you play teams than who you’re actually playing,” Weiss said. “Are you catching their 1-2-3 in the rotation by chance? Or are you catching their 3-4-5? Are you going into a series and their bullpen got really taxed the series before, so they have guys down for a couple days, so you’re not facing the (high-) leverage guys? There’s a lot of factors about when you play a team that’s just as important as who you’re playing.”

Overall, the Braves outscored the Dodgers and Cubs 24-12. The eye test reflects well on them, too: The Braves generally looked more formidable than those opponents. The offense has been explosive, Thursday’s shutout notwithstanding. The rotation has been marvelous from the get-go despite its ailments. The back of the bullpen — particularly Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez, Dylan Lee and a properly utilized Tyler Kinley — will be a force, should this team qualify for the postseason.

So there won’t be any grand takeaways from the past week, but the Braves will be satisfied with their showing across two potential postseason previews.

“It’s better than losing against them,” Sale said with a chuckle. “You want to win as many series as possible. … And those are two teams you’re probably going to see in October. So again, winning is always better than not.”