The Braves have hung there much longer than I expected them to, but the Phillies have too much for them. They’ve won nine games in a row and now lead the National League East by 9 1/2 games.
It seems that in a roundabout way the Braves have raised the surrender flag. Atlanta star third baseman, Chipper Jones said something about the Phillies that doesn’t sound like a leader of a team that thinks they can catch the Phils.
“The Phillies are as good as any team I’ve seen”, Jones said. “I’d put them up against any of those Yankees clubs of the late ’90s and early 2000s. That club has got it going on and they are flat out playing like it, day in and day out.”
Do you think Jones would be praising the Phillies, if he thought his Atlanta ball club could catch them? I don’t think so, it sounded like a frustrated player waving the white flag.
Catcher and Team MVP B McCann went down about a week ago with an injury which just about ended the Braves chances to catch the Phils, couple that with C Jones missing the last month, and Pitchers D Lowe ineffectiveness and now Staff Ace J Jurgens out with a sore arm/shoulder who was just placed on the DL List and the Braves are fading fast and now it appears a race for the Wildcard spot is wide open between the Braves, Diamondbacks, and 2nd place team in the Central Division (Cardinals)..