The Braves owned the National League East for six consecutive seasons. The Phillies won the past two titles.
Now the Braves not only are the class of the division again, they are also the best team in baseball so far.
The Braves left Philadelphia on Sunday night with a 5½-game lead in the East after sweeping the Phillies. On the one hand, it’s early. On the other hand, the Braves (15-7) still haven’t lost a series.
No other MLB team can say the same.
Only the Dodgers (15-6) have a better record. But they just lost two of three games to the Rockies, of all teams. The Padres (15-7) have a plus-17 run differential. The Braves are an MLB-best plus-57.
Things that seemed like causes for concern for the Braves not long ago no longer look that way.
Austin Riley hit two home runs in the opener at Philly. He’s 15-for-47 (.319) over his past 11 games with four walks, three homers, three doubles and 12 RBIs.
The Braves could have taken a hit to their pitching depth when Martín Pérez was designated for assignment and returned after clearing waivers. But he re-signed last week and returned to the rotation to pitch six scoreless innings Friday.
Closer Raisel Iglesias got a day off Saturday with a sore shoulder. He finished the finale with no runs allowed.
Before that game, AJC beat writer Chad Bishop noted the Braves have caught a lot of breaks so far. Then they got another one: Riley produced the go-ahead RBI in the fifth inning when he pounded a ball into the dirt that trickled into no man’s land between the pitching mound and third base.
It seemed luck might finally turn against the Braves in the ninth.
Phillies infielder Bryson Stott led off with a fly ball. Left fielder Eli White missed a diving attempt to catch it, and center fielder Michael Harris III slipped while trying to back him up. Stott ended up at second base.
Iglesias issued a one-out walk to Justin Crawford before striking out Trea Turner on four pitches. Kyle Schwarber, the NL leader in home runs last season, smashed a line drive to right field. Ronald Acuña chased it down to secure the sweep.
The Braves lead the Marlins (10-12) and Nationals (10-12) by 5½ games in the East. They took two of three games from the Marlins last week. They play four games at the pitching-deficient Nationals starting Monday.
I expect the best team in baseball to leave D.C. with an even bigger lead in the East.
The Mets are awful
The Braves won’t play the Mets until June 12. That’s too bad for them. Everybody is beating the Mets nowadays.
New York lost its 11th consecutive game Sunday. The Mets (7-15) are tied with the Royals (7-15) for MLB’s worst record.
They are the anti-Braves: Everything is going wrong.
“This feeling sucks,” Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor told reporters after Sunday’s 2-1 loss at the Cubs. “It’s not a good feeling. We’re professionals. We’ve got to find a way out of it.
“No one here is hanging their heads. Everybody got their head up high, and we are fighting for each other.”
The results don’t show it. The Mets assembled the second-most-expensive payroll after the late-season collapse in 2025, and they are still scuffling.
The Mets have scored 1.7 runs per game during the losing streak. They were shut out three times, including twice during a home series against the Athletics, and scored one run three times.
Lindor ($32.5 million salary) is hitting .205 with one home run. Marcus Semien ($26 million) and Bo Bichette ($40 million signing bonus) haven’t been any better. Juan Soto ($47 million) and Jorge Polanco ($20 million) weren’t producing much before they went on the injured list.
The Mets lost five games in a row at home before hitting the road. They are back at Citi Field on Tuesday to start a nine-game homestand. Fans who saw the team part ways with several popular players after last season are not going to be in the mood to see more losing.
It’s not even May yet, and the Mets are bracing for their fans to turn against them.
“It’s gonna get loud,” Lindor said. “It’s gonna get very loud. Everyone here knows it. Everyone here knows it. We’ve gotta stick together.”
Three quick thoughts
- Gabe Vincent didn’t give the Hawks much against the Knicks in the Game 1 loss Saturday. Hours later Luke Kennard, the player they traded to get Vincent in February, helped the Lakers upset the Rockets. With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out, Kennard started and scored a postseason career-high 27 points while making all five of his 3-point attempts.
- After holding the Blue Jays to two runs over seven innings Friday night, right-hander Michael Soroka told MLB.com, “I think I’m better than I’ve ever been.” Soroka finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting with the Braves in 2019, but they gave up on him after injuries. The White Sox and Nationals later got rid of him, too. Now Soroka (2.78 ERA in four starts) is rejuvenating his career in Arizona.
- At this point, it’s copy-paste: Atlanta United failed to score again. Midfielder Miguel Almirón didn’t play in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Nashville, but that’s hardly the reason for another shutout loss. It was Atlanta United’s fifth shutout in eight MLS matches this year and the 14th in 42 since the start of last season. The Five Stripes beat third-tier side Chattanooga 3-1 in a U.S. Open Cup match Wednesday.
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