The Atlanta Braves dropped the seriesfinale against the Philadelphia Philliesdue to a rare collapse from a typically reliable bullpen. Dylan Lee took the ball with the Braves having just scored a game-tying run and setting the stage for what appeared to be another late-inning comeback. Instead, Lee was a complete liability, giving up four earned runs and hard contact that gave Philadelphia complete control of the game, as Victor Mederos would be brought in and give up three additional runs to put the game out of reach.
Lee's struggles and how much faith the Braves can have the in left-hander going into the postseason is clearly one of the biggest stories emerging from the game. However, the more interesting story is the fact this leaves the door cracked open for the Phillies in the National League East.
As the Braves prepare to go on the road to take on the Chicago Cubs they hold a 5.0 game lead with 12 games left to play. Atlanta is still very much in the driver's seat, but this game would've been the death blow to any faint hopes the Phillies had of making a surprise run.
With that said, there is reason to argue that it is in Atlanta's favor that the franchise fell in the final game. Having a lot left to play for leaves every reason to not lose focus and continue to play with a sense of urgency in the final two weeks and hopefully bleeding into the postseason.
Braves Losing Series Finale to Philadelphia Could Work in Atlanta's Favor Long Term
As much as you would love to see Atlanta sweep the hated rival and put the division to bed, keeping the door slightly ajar leaves manager Walt Weiss a clear sense or urgency. Not only are you chasing the Brewers and Dodgers for one of the National League's top two seeds, having the advantage of not playing in the wildcard round would better set the Braves up for a World Series run.
With this in mind, Lee's struggles on Sunday afternoon could work in the favor of the Braves reminding the franchise a needed sense of urgency. The division remains in reach and could quickly fall to Atlanta, but keeping hope alive for the Phillies in turn demands you continue to play the next week with the same level of focus.
It will be interesting to watch how the Braves opt to line up the rotation over the season's final two weeks and how long it takes to wrap up a division that remains Atlanta's to lose, with the door simply slightly open after Sunday's failure.
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