Why Braves should embrace a playoff rematch with Phillies, why they should not

Just when the 2024 Atlanta Braves looked like they were turning a corner, self-inflicted issues resulted in them losing three of four in their gotta-have-it series with the Philadelphia Phillies. I get it. A lot of people hate these teams, but even Braves and Phillies fans can agree on one thing. Even in bad times, they are still not the New York Mets... In the meantime, we have the home stretch ahead.

Let's be real. If you want to believe the Braves are still winning the NL East this year, that is your right to do so, just like you can still believe in Santa Claus and live in your mom's basement long after you can technically be the next President of the United States. I am rapidly approaching that critical Phil Niekro number, but I am also a realist. This is not the Braves' year, and there is nothing wrong with it.

What I am attempting to prepare myself for is an inevitable postseason series meeting with the absolutely delightful Phillies. While they have had the Braves' number the last two seasons, keep in mind that Bryce Harper is still ringless. At this point, I am more interested in the Braves throwing a wrench in the Phillies' early November parade plans than seeing another one of our own in Atlanta.

Embrace the suck has become cliche, but that is really where Braves Country is at with this team.

Here are five reasons Atlanta needs to welcome a Phillies series in October, and one why it shouldn't.

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Momentum is a real thing, and Philadelphia may learn the bye is a trap

Unless you happen to bang the trash can with Houston, everybody else who has had a first-round bye in the last two postseasons can tell you how much it sucks. Momentum is a real thing in baseball. Routines are compromised and it is simply too hard to reignite a special season after a weeklong respite. Too bad Rob Manfred is going to do absolutely nothing about it because he is a giant doofus.

What the first-round byes have done is put red-hot teams on ice. Atlanta, the Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Dodgers have all experience premature postseason exits for this reason. Again, that falls on the teams themselves and the cultures they have created. However, sometimes you cannot contain a runaway train coming down the tracks like the Arizona Diamondbacks or the Texas Rangers.

Should Philadelphia get a top-two seed, all signs point to the Phillies possibly playing time in their NLDS. They could play the Braves, they could play somebody else entirely in the National League, it truly doesn't matter. The last two years Philadelphia has benefited from playing in the NLWCS while Atlanta sat back and relaxed. This new playoff format must be revamped because it creates issues.

Philadelphia may be too good to stumble to a team like the Braves, but this first-round bye is tough.

It would be beyond cathartic to beat your bitter division rival in October

For as much of a sad bag of crap this year's team has been at times, you are allowed to do cartwheels in the streets should Atlanta defeat Philadelphia in the postseason, Braves Country. Nobody is expecting you to do that, and you need to embrace the fact that you shouldn't want it any other way. For as painful as the last two postseason exits have been, perhaps it is third time's a charm in 2024?

Again, I am not counting on it, but sometimes in order to move on as a person, as a team, as a society, whatever, you need to confront your demons or the big bad bully who so often taunts you. Once you prevail over your greatest real or mental obstacle, nothing else is as difficult as it seems. No, I don't think the Braves have it in them to do this vs. Philadelphia this postseason, but you never really know.

Even if Philadelphia has the better record at regular season's end, all it takes is to steal one game on the road to flip the series in your favor. Of course, the Braves need to protect home turf as best as they can to pull off a postseason series upset. It may not be something The Braves Way was ever built upon, but we have seem Atlanta do this at least once or twice in my entire life. Maybe just twice...

Regardless, ending Philadelphia's season well before they wanted it to would be beyond cathartic.

Nobody thought the 2021 Braves would go on to win the World Series

I am becoming increasingly aware that the 2021 Braves were the exception and not a sign of new things to come. The 2021 team caught lightning in a bottle to win its first World Series in 26 years. The bullpen was lights out. The defense was great. There was speed on the base paths. There was timely hitting. But most importantly, the starting pitching rose to the occasion to lift this franchise.

Flash forward three seasons, and we have the inverse of that in Atlanta. It has been the starting pitching that has kept this painfully frustrating team in the postseason hunt all season long. Injuries have done a number on this team, but even before that, the offense has been suspect at best. The bullpen fluctuates, as does the defense. Even with fast base runners, mental mistakes will pop up.

But at the end of the day, that 2021 team did what nobody outside of Braves Country thought it could do. As the No. 3 seed in a bad NL East, Atlanta beat Milwaukee, Los Angeles and Houston in succession to throw the city a big parade. Every team is different, but there is a rough blueprint of what needs to be done to closely approximate that. Is this even replicable? I am not entirely sure.

That 2021 team was clutch, whereas the Braves since the mid-1990s have been the antithesis.

A win or a close series could signify who needs to be around next season

If Atlanta were to face Philadelphia in the postseason, here is what I am hoping for above all else. Sure, a series win over the Phillies would turn my frown upside down, but again, I am not counting on it. I have watched this team all spring and summer long. I know what they are capable of. More importantly, I know what they are absolutely not. It is why I want to see if any dogs could emerge.

Yes, I know injuries have ravaged this team, but much of what made that 2021 team so special is no longer present in Atlanta. It was general manager Alex Anthopoulos' decision to let Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson walk in back-to-back offseasons. I am not saying they would be the cure to what is currently ailing the Braves because time and place prevail over everything, but we miss them.

If there is somebody on the team playing with no urgency in blatant namby-pamby fashion, get that bum off my team! I don't care if he makes seven, eight or nine figures, we don't need to backslide as a franchise. Conversely, if there is a guy playing with grit or a crashing sense of urgency, I would welcome him on next year's team, even if the stats don't show he had a good postseason this year.

The chemistry in the clubhouse needs some fine-tuning, and this postseason will be a test case.

This has been a year from hell, so this team really has nothing left to lose

God, wouldn't this be a rare breath of fresh air for once? What has defined Braves baseball in October for the better part of adult life, back into early adolescence, is this team plays tight when it is the favorite. I feel like I am rooting for the redcoats playing under the old rules of engagement, while these upstart rebels are playing different rules with their guerrilla warfare tactics. Don't be doofuses!

When I mention playing tight, the only thing that I know that fixes that is somebody who plays loose. I am talking about guys who play with a sense of confidence that let the game develop before them without trying to force something out of desperation. Back in the day, I referred to them as gamers. Now I think you need a little more fire to self-ignite. It is why you need more dogs or foxhole guys.

Admittedly, this is just like the phenomenon known as charisma. You either have it or you don't. That is not to stay stoic stiff boards can't be impactful players in the postseason, but just know that they will have to be demoted to second billing from regular-season stars to postseason role players. The bright lights can bring out the best in you, just like they can bring out the worst in you. Are you ready?

There is nothing left to lose when you have already lost everything, so use that to your advantage.

I am afraid the Braves will handle postseason failure in the wrong manner

I feel more so than ever that the rest of the baseball world is actively rooting against this team. Be careful what you wish for. Yes, I fully understand that this franchise is not for everyone, but new boss is the same as the old boss. Whoever wins this year's Fall Classic could be a real pain in the rear-end to deal with all offseason long and into next season. It is probably somebody else's turn to be on top.

As far as the ridicule and embarrassment this team is sure to have thrust upon it if and when the team inevitably fails in October, the one thing I am desperately afraid of is the Braves will continue to refuse to learn the lesson they often need to with postseason failures. Atlanta is adept at winning prolifically in the regular season, but far too often come up short in October because the entire game changes!

To be fair, I don't know if clearing house or firing a ton of people are going to fix these issues. That would be too reactive and not proactive. What frustrates me to no end with this franchise is when its back is pushed against the wall, they read from The Book of John Schuerholz and beat their chests about the sanctity of The Braves Way. That might have worked in 1995, but that was 30 years ago!

If lessons cannot be learned in a third straight postseason loss to the Phillies, go to a different school.