World Series Preview?

07/07/2023

By: Matthew Cahill

Tampa Bay Rays host Atlanta Braves in Three-Game Weekend Series

When you think about championship favorites in the 2023 MLB season, two teams likely come to mind: the Braves and the Rays. Baseball fans have been anxiously monitoring the Rays since their historic 13-0 winning streak to open the season. Even after a few losses, the Rays looked unstoppable. Compared to other teams with strong starts to the season, the Rays were leaps and bounds ahead in nearly every category. But as of late, their momentum has faltered and they’ve begun to cool off. Meanwhile, the Braves are embracing the Atlanta heat and going on a bit of a hot streak themselves. Regardless of each team’s momentum, they both lead their division by at least five games, making this a must-watch matchup.

AL East vs NL East

Not only do both teams lead their division by impressive margins, but they also have similar win percentages on the season. The Braves boast a 58-28 record and a .674 win percentage while the Rays slightly trail with a 57-33 record and a .633 win percentage. However, the numbers start to differ when you look at their recent performances. Tampa has gone just 4-6 while Atlanta on the other hand has gone 9-1 in their last ten.

The Braves have jumped to No. 1 in the MLB Power Rankings heading into the All-Star break while the Rays have fallen (but only to No. 2). In their 27 games since June 2, Atlanta has batted over .300 as a team, averaging 2.5 home runs and 7 runs per game. In other words, they’ve been hot for over a month now. As we know, a 162-game baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. When the Rays were hot from the first game, no one could expect that heat to last all season. In baseball, it’s always a matter of getting hot at the right time.

October Preview?

As the numbers have shown, there are some similarities between the Rays and the Braves. But as we know, statistics don’t always reflect ability. In this case, however, the teams carry similar strong suits. To simplify, they are both World Series favorites. This three-game series very well may be a preview of late October.

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Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images