The Atlanta Braves are in the thick of a race to the finish with the New York Mets. After a furious comeback over the summer, the pair have been in lock-step for the better part of a month. As of today, the Braves trail their division rival by a full game with 15 games remaining for both clubs.
Grant McAuley joined the Midday Show to discuss the looming series between the two teams next weekend in Atlanta and how it could provide a sneak-peek of what to expect in the postseason.
With the recent addition of Bryce Elder to the big league club over the weekend, Grant was specifically asked whether or not Brian Snitker could shuffle the rotation a bit in order to get the guys he wants on the mound when the Mets come to town next weekend.
The answer was a resounding yes, but he followed it up with another interesting note as well.
"I think you'd want Max Fried, Spencer Strider, and Kyle Wright in those three games and that would be my postseason rotation if they have to play in the Wild Card round as well," Grant McAuley told the Midday Show. "It's not a knock on Charlie Morton, the career that he's had, and the postseason resume he has."
The Braves are in a fortunate position that just about any team in baseball would be envious of. They have one of the elite left-handed pitchers in Max Fried, a potential league leader in wins with Kyle Wright, and a sensational rookie strikeout king in Spencer Strider.
On the outside looking in would be a two-time World Series champion, and 2021 postseason hero, Charlie Morton.
"I have not seen enough for long enough this season to make me believe that this is a guy from start to start you can really count on and do the things he needs to be the pitcher he has been in the past. Just been a very up and down season for [Charlie]," McAuley said on Tuesday, but that doesn't mean he won't make an appearance for the Braves. "You're going to have to lean on at least four starters [in the NLDS] to get you through the first three rounds of the playoffs."
With a little over a week before the Mets come to Atlanta, the Braves have some time to shuffle up their rotation. It's clear that this upcoming series looms large for the divisional race, but it will also give us a better idea of what to expect in October.