Cobb Reporter

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ATLANTA -- Can the Braves win a seventh straight National League East title? A clearer picture will emerge by the time the Braves and Phillies conclude a three-game series at Truist Park on Sunday afternoon. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber will still be on the injured list when these two rivals meet for the first time since the season-opening series in Philadelphia.

By the end of the series, it may become more apparent what it might take for Atlanta to overtake Philadelphia. It won’t be a make-or-break series. The Braves lost four of five to the Mets from Aug. 4-7, 2022, and found themselves seven games back on Aug. 10.

The final six weeks of that incredible 101-win season are well-documented. Additionally, recent postseasons have seen the Braves hindered by an incomplete rotation.

Can the Braves erase their eight-game deficit in the NL East? Yes. Should they make every effort to achieve this? Absolutely not.

In other words, the Braves should continue to pace both their starters and relievers. Much focus has been on how Reynaldo López and Chris Sale are getting at least one extra day of rest as frequently as possible. However, bullpen management could also prove valuable down the stretch and into the postseason.

Jesse Chavez leads Braves relievers with 34 innings pitched, followed by Dylan Lee with 33 innings. Chavez ranks 73rd among all MLB relievers entering Monday.

Raisel Iglesias and Joe Jiménez have made a team-high 32 appearances for Atlanta this year; eighty-seven MLB pitchers have made more relief appearances than these Atlanta relievers.

The Braves did not enter this season planning to finish second to the Phillies, but past experiences seem to have influenced their strategy for pacing through 2024. They have navigated this route thanks to significant depth in their relief pitching department.

Grant Holmes spent ten years in the Minors before debuting on June 16. Since then, he has allowed just two runs over ten innings. The three scoreless innings he provided in relief of Spencer Schwellenbach (Braves' No. 3 prospect) in Sunday’s 4-2 loss to the Pirates allowed most relievers an extra day of rest paired with Monday’s off-day.

Jiménez has been one of baseball's best relievers (2.53 ERA), while Chavez is receiving All-Star consideration with a 1.32 ERA halfway through his age-40 season. This bullpen has so much depth that Daysbel Hernández was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday to create a roster spot for A.J. Minter, who was activated from the injured list before Tuesday’s game against the Giants.

Hernández has allowed one unearned run in nine appearances (9 2/3 innings) this year but was sent down because he is one of few relievers with an option remaining.

López and Sale have responded well to extra rest throughout this season, maintaining strength while reintroducing themselves to covering an entire season as big league starters—something neither had done since 2019—and earning strong All-Star consideration along the way.

If Atlanta were to use its starters on regular rest in an attempt to catch Philadelphia, López and Sale might not be as effective come postseason time. However, if they don't catch Philadelphia and must play in the Wild Card round, they will enter confidently if López, Sale, Max Fried, and Charlie Morton are healthy and well-rested.

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