The Atlanta Braves’ lead in the National League East is comfortable. It doesn’t mean it’s time to raise a flag for a sixth straight division title, at least not yet. But it’s a lot better being five games up compared to five games back, which is where they were a year ago after 72 games.
After going 3-5 in an eight-game stretch in late May, the Braves have gone 15-5 in the last 20 games. Sure, they’ve beaten a bunch of bad teams in that stretch, but that’s what great teams are expected to do — beat the heck out of teams they are supposed to beat.