Braves Clinch NL East for Fifth Year in a Row

The Atlanta Braves clinch the NL East Tuesday night with a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins. It’s the fifth straight season in which they’ve won the division.

The Braves overtook first place from the Mets on Saturday and will hold that lead through the end of the season Wednesday. They spent just six days in first place (including tomorrow) compared to the Mets’ 175 days. It was the final series in Atlanta, though, in which the Mets were swept that gave the Braves the edge heading into the final series of the year.

Moments after the final out of the Braves win, Buck Showalter pulled Taijuan Walker from Game 2 of Tuesday’s doubleheader. Expect Game 162 to be an amalgam of bullpen pitchers, leaving the premium arms for Friday.

After starting 25-27, the Braves have gone 76-33 since June 1. That’s a 113-win pace. They’ll end this season win either 101 or 102 wins. Should the Mets and Braves end the season with the same 101-61 record, the Braves would hold the tiebreaker over the Mets after going 10-9 against them this season.

The Braves will face either the Philadelphia Phillies or St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Division Series, which starts next Tuesday. The Mets, on the other hand, will host the San Diego Padres at Citi Field in the NL Wild Card Series starting Friday. Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer will start the first two games. If they win that series, they’ll face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.