NL Wild Card Standings: Mets still empty-handed, Braves nosediving from top spot

The San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks can’t stop winning games. The Padres have won three straight. The Diamondbacks have picked up two in a row. Each is 8-2 in their last 10 games. It has allowed both to at least temporarily gain extra ground on the New York Mets but also pass by the Atlanta Braves.

Suddenly, the locks for the top Wild Card spot Braves are scuffling. A 10-0 loss against the Milwaukee Brewers at home dropped them to the third Wild Card spot and awarded them their third straight loss.

Atlanta has had trouble scoring runs all year. A recent injury to Reynaldo Lopez will make keeping runs off the board even more difficult.

The NL Wild Card Standings are swirling with the Mets and Braves closer to a battle for the final spot

If the NL Wild Card comes down to what teams did at the trade deadline, it’s going to be a slap fight between the Mets and the Braves for the third spot. Both teams sat on their heels while the Diamondbacks and even more so the Padres made some big improvements. Adding Jorge Soler was the big Braves move. He has started off 3 for 20 with one RBI.

The Braves have a built-in excuse. They were built for their lineup to essentially play as close to 162 games as possible. However, now without Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, and Ronald Acuna Jr., they’re relying on a whole lot of guys who were cut by other teams.

Outfielders Adam Duvall (who has been there all year), Eddie Rosario, and now Soler are all hitting under .200. Snatching Whit Merrifield out of free agency following his release by the Philadelphia Phillies gives them depth but is far from a solution.

Atlanta remains a dangerous team on the mound. The threesome of Chris Sale, Charlie Morton, and a recently returned Max Fried is almost all they’ll need in the postseason. Add in Spencer Schwellenbach and their four best pitchers plus maybe the best bullpen in baseball is a threat if they can get to October. 

The Braves roster construction does have an obvious weakness, though. None of their relievers have minor league options. For a fresh arm, they’ll need to demote a starting pitcher or Luke Williams. He’s one of only three position players with options anyway.

The Mets have their problems. On paper, the Braves still feel mightier particularly in a short series. The trouble for them will be getting there at all. They didn’t do much to improve the offense which has scored 467 runs this year. Only the Miami Marlins in the National League have crossed the plate fewer times. It’s one less run than the Oakland Athletics.

Fisticuffs in the NL Wild Card standings are far from over. The Mets remain a threat with their ongoing West Coast road trip round one starting off as a bigger bump than we had hoped. There won’t be many chances for the Mets to finish with a better record than the Braves. This year is shaping up to be one of them.