The Atlanta Braves are gunning for a playoff spot and after struggling over the past half week of baseball, they returned to their winning ways against the Miami Marlins, dropping their Magic Number to eight. What's their winning number if they can win on Tuesday, combined with a Washington Nationals' loss?
6.
With the magic number currently sitting on eight, a Braves win and Nationals' loss will lower the number by two. Here are other scenarios.
The magic number will remain eight if the Braves lose and the Nationals win. The magic number will dip to seven if the Braves lose to the Marlins, but the Nationals lose to the Mets. On the same page, if the Braves and Nationals win, the magic number will only dip one game and sit at seven.
The Braves are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the lowest magic number among first-place teams. They are the only teams with magic numbers in single digits as all the other divisions around baseball are pretty close. Both teams have a 12-game lead over their nearest competitors, but only the Braves have just one team to worry about in the standings. The Dodgers still have the San Diego Padres alive in the division, but their season should be done by the end of the week.
On the mound for the Braves Tuesday evening in Marlins Stadium will be their pitching sensation, Julio Teheran. He has stepped it up big time for the Braves in 2013, pitching in his first full season with the Braves. Teheran is 11-7 with a 3.01 ERA, recording 148 strikeouts in 161.1 innings pitched. He has owned Miami, going 2-0 in three starts, allowing five earned runs in 18.2 innings pitched. In two of those games, Teheran has only allowed an earned run.
The Braves will face Tom Koehler, who kept the team in check in his only start against them in 2013. Koehler went five innings, allowing only two earned runs, but went home with the no-decision.
The Braves look to lock up the division and once again capture the N.L. East for the first time since 2005.
