ESPN identifies the factor that will determine the Braves’ postseason chances.

It’s the best time of year for baseball fans… at least those of clubs that made the playoffs. The Wild Card Series began yesterday, and the Braves will play Game 1 of the NLDS at Truist Park on Saturday. It’s going to be electric in Atlanta this weekend, and hopefully throughout the month of October.

A group of ESPN writers just wrote an article profiling all 12 playoff clubs from various perspectives. One of their key focuses was on the single factor that will determine each team’s playoff performance. It was the rotation for the Braves.

The one factor that will determine their fate in October: There are growing doubts about Atlanta’s starting rotation. Max Fried missed the final two starts of the regular season due to a blister. Charlie Morton is already out of the division series due to a finger injury. Bryce Elder was an All-Star in the first half, but his ERA skyrocketed to more over 5.00 in the second. Even Spencer Strider has struggled down the stretch, with his MLB-leading strikeout rate dropping in the past two months. Furthermore, the bullpen has some injury difficulties and had its worst month in September, putting further more strain on the rotation. Schoenfield —

This will be a big topic for the Braves for the duration of their postseason run. They should be able to get by in the NLDS with Max Fried and Spencer Strider, who can each make two starts. However, they must still devise a strategy for Game 3, which will be the Braves’ first postseason road game.

However, if the Braves progress to the NLCS, where they will need four different starting pitchers, the questions will only get worse. Some of those fears will be alleviated if Charlie Morton can return, but if he cannot, Brian Snitker and Alex Anthopoulos will have to get inventive. The good news is that the Braves have the offensive firepower to win A shootout may happen on any given night, but runs are more harder to come by in the postseason.