Braves clinch fourth consecutive NL East title despite absences of Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mike Soroka

The Atlanta Braves secured their fourth consecutive Nationwide League East crown on Thursday, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies by a 5-3 margin (box score). The one NL division but to be determined is the West, with the San Francisco Giants and  Los Angeles Dodgers battling for the division title —  and the perfect document in baseball — over the season’s remaining days.

The Braves could have been the reigning champions, however their continued dominance was hardly assured. Atlanta completed the primary half with a dropping document, at 44-45, and entered August trailing within the division by 5 video games. However, the Braves had been in a position to rally by successful video games within the second half at a 98-win tempo total.

Atlanta was in a position to go on that run with out star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., whose season ended on July 10, or ace Mike Soroka, who has not pitched this season. As a substitute, the Braves had been led by third baseman Austin Riley, first baseman Freddie Freeman, and starters Max Fried and Charlie Morton. The Braves entrance workplace additionally buttressed their core on the deadline by choosing up a number of low-cost veterans, akin to Jorge Soler and Eddie Rosario, every of whom has an OPS+ exceeding 120 with Atlanta.

Each Riley and Soler homered as a part of Thursday’s victory. 

Final yr, the Braves took the Dodgers to a seventh sport within the Nationwide League Championship Collection. Previous to that, the Braves had not superior past the division spherical since 2001. The Braves, so dominant all through the ’90s, have not returned to the World Collection since 1999.

It is unclear if the Braves have the products to transcend that this yr, however they will go to mattress tonight understanding this a lot: subsequent week they will start a best-of-five sequence in opposition to the Milwaukee Brewers for the suitable to play for the NL pennant. Contemplating how their season was trying on the All-Star Recreation, they’ve to think about this end result.