3 MLB postseason opponents Braves should hope to avoid

The Atlanta Braves stand tall and proud above the rest of baseball right now.

Atlanta clinched the NL East with a rip-roaring victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. Ronald Acuña Jr. did the Eagles flap on his way around the basepaths, Tyler Matzek clowned the Phils' manager on Twitter, and the vibes were beyond immaculate as the team celebrated its sixth consecutive division crown.

With an impressive 96-50 record, there appears to be little standing in the way of Atlanta and its second World Series title in three years. There are eight All-Stars on the Braves roster, Matt Olson leads the MLB in home runs, and Ronald Acuña Jr. is on track for 40-40 and his first MVP award. Even the pitching rotation — Spencer Strider, Max Fried, Bryce Elder, Charlie Morton — packs a serious punch.

The Braves should win the World Series. On paper, Atlanta outstrips every team in the MLB — most of them by a comfortable margin. But, the games aren't actually played on paper and October is a different beast. Some teams get hot, some teams get cold. Luck is a fickle friend and even the best teams are vulnerable to the dreaded outlier performance.

So, with that in mind, which teams pose the biggest threat to Atlanta's title hopes?

Braves should hope to avoid the Dodgers in the MLB playoffs

Let's get the easy answer out of the way first. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the only National League foe that can actually match Atlanta pound-for-pound on the talent front. The Braves still have superior depth, but Mookie Betts is a legitimate challenger for MVP and Freddie Freeman is the NL's most well-rounded star.

The Dodgers have an expensive roster and a wealth of star power to combat Atlanta's own reservoir of top-end talent. Freeman knows the Braves inside and out; he was there last time Atlanta reached the mountaintop. Clayton Kershaw has a robust postseason resume on the mound, and the Dodgers are second in the MLB in both homers and RBIs, trailing only (you guessed it) Atlanta.

It will take a potent offense to knock out Atlanta. The Braves put up runs at a ludicrous rate. The Dodgers are one of the few teams with a genuine hope of keeping pace. Los Angeles has the ability to string together hits with stars who know how to perform under pressure. The Braves shouldn't fear any team, but the 88-57 Dodgers certainly merit a healthy respect.