Atlanta Braves Power Rankings - 2013
| Power Ranking | ||||
| WEEK | RECORD | RANK | COMMENT | |
| Week 27 | 96-66 | 4 | October will begin with a big challenge for the Braves' strikeout-prone lineup as they face the Dodgers' swing-and-miss starting pitching staff. Will the Braves' three-run home run approach work, or will they whiff their way out of the first round? They have a tough task ahead of them if they are to win their first postseason series since 2001. -- Martin Gandy, Gondeee | |
| Week 26 | 92-63 | 5 | The Braves finally clinched the NL East, and will spend the remainder of the season playing at home in an attempt to retain their current edge in home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs. Atlanta has been two different teams this season; at home it is an MLB-best 52-22, while on the road it is a pedestrian 40-41. -- Martin Gandy, Gondeee | |
| Week 25 | 89-60 | 3 | The Braves have an opportunity to clinch the NL East early this week when they visit the Nationals. Of course, they'll have to try to find their offense, which went missing somewhere between New York and Philly earlier this month. Perhaps the hangover from losing Jason Heyward finally set in. Good news: J-Hey could be back in a week, and with such a sizable lead they've been able to rest starting pitchers. -- Martin Gandy, Gondeee | |
| Week 24 | 85-57 | 3 | The Braves hit a speed bump in Philly, highlighting not only how cold their offense can be at times but how poorly they play on the road. In a race that's important to them -- best record in the NL for home-field advantage -- they're still No. 1, but getting everyone healthy actually is the most important thing for the team right now. -- Martin Gandy, Gondeee | |
| Week 23 | 83-53 | 2 | Rookie Alex Wood got pounded in Sunday's 7-0 loss to the Marlins, ending a stretch of five straight starts in which he had allowed one run or less. -- David Schoenfield, SweetSpot | |
| Week 22 | 78-52 | 3 | Craig Kimbrel has allowed one run over his past 39.1 innings -- and even picked up a four-out save on Sunday! (Goose Gossage laughs.) He now has a 1.01 ERA over the past two seasons. -- David Schoenfield, SweetSpot | |
| Week 21 | 76-48 | 2 | Jason Heyward is hitting .337/.417/.589 in the second half with six home runs. Looks like the leadoff position suits him just fine. -- David Schoenfield, SweetSpot | |
| Week 20 | 72-46 | 1 | Julio Teheran has a 1.13 ERA in four starts since the All-Star break. He's allowed just 15 hits in 24 innings pitched during that stretch. -- ESPN.com | |
| Week 19 | 67-45 | 3 | The Braves are only a half-game behind the Pirates for the best record in the NL and one behind Boston for best in the majors, and with an easy schedule the rest of the way (only seven games against winning teams), they should end up with the best overall record. Not that it would result in home-field advantage in the World Series. -- David Schoenfield, SweetSpot | |
| Week 18 | 60-45 | 6 | Since undergoing Tommy John surgery more than 13 months ago, Brandon Beachy will make his first start for the Braves on Monday against the Rockies. The Braves hope Beachy will step in and assume the rotation spot previously occupied by the injured Tim Hudson. -- ESPN.com | |
| Week 17 | 55-43 | 6 | Braves outfielders have combined for a .700 OPS, 24th in the majors, and 105 RBIs, tied for worst. -- David Schoenfield, SweetSpot | |
| Week 16 | 54-41 | 6 | Injuries to the outfield meant the Braves played Jose Costanza, Reed Johnson and Joey Terdoslavich out there on Sunday. Tyler Pastornicky and Paul Janish were also used as pinch hitters. The Braves have gone 12-13 since June 18, but lost just 1 1/2 games of their lead. -- David Schoenfield, SweetSpot | |
| Week 15 | 50-38 | 6 | Justin Upton was among the starting outfielders via fan voting going into the final ballot. He lost his spot with good reason: He's hitting .219 with three home runs since May 1. -- David Schoenfield, SweetSpot | |
| Week 14 | 48-34 | 6 | Julio Teheran put together a great June. In five starts in the month, he compiled a 1.95 ERA while striking out 37 and walking only four batters in 32 1/3 innings pitched. -- ESPN.com | |
| Week 13 | 44-33 | 5 | Justin Upton continues to struggle, hitting .186 with one home run over his past 31 games. -- David Schoenfied, ESPN.com | |
| Week 12 | 41-28 | 4 | Since his first three starts, Julio Teheran is 5-3 with a 2.42 ERA and has allowed more than three runs just once. It's going to be tough to bump him from the rotation when Brandon Beachy returns. -- David Schoenfield, SweetSpot | |
| Week 11 | 39-24 | 3 | Dan Uggla is hitting just .193 but ranks second among MLB second basemen with 13 home runs, and he has a higher OPS than Ben Zobrist, Albert Pujols, Matt Wieters, Chase Headley and Vernon Wells. -- David Schoenfield, SweetSpot | |
| Week 10 | 34-22 | 5 | The Braves have played only a game over .500 since that 13-2 start, but that counts and after taking two of the three from the Nationals over the weekend are now 7-3 against Washington. -- David Schoenfield, SweetSpot | |
| Week 9 | 30-19 | 4 | Kris Medlen has pitched better than his record (1-5) would indicate. He's allowed three or fewer runs in eight of his 10 starts, and has a 3.16 ERA. -- ESPN.com | |
| Week 8 | 25-18 | 9 | Over his past 29 starts, Mike Minor has posted an ERA just over 2.75. The 25-year-old left-hander is not only one of the most underrated young starters in baseball, but he is the best starter on one of the best teams in the league. -- Ben Duronio, Capitol Avenue Club | |
| Week 7 | 21-16 | 8 | B.J. Upton continues to struggle, as he's batting .153 with a .248 on-base percentage in 124 at-bats. -- ESPN.com | |
| Week 6 | 18-12 | 6 | The Braves' powerful offense has been the talk of their early-season success, but where the Braves have really made their bones is on the mound. Atlanta is one of two teams to allow under 100 runs this season and the team's overall run differential still sits at second best in the National League despite their recent rough stretch. -- Ben Duronio, Capitol Avenue Club | |
| Week 5 | 15-9 | 2 | The Braves are now as cold as they were hot after losing four straight games, including a sweep against Detroit this past weekend. Health and getting batters on in front of Justin Upton are the biggest keys for the Braves to get back to their winning ways. Both of those point squarely to Jason Heyward, who needs to get better results when he returns from the DL. -- Ben Duronio, Capitol Avenue Club | |
| Week 4 | 13-5 | 1 | Justin Upton leads the majors with nine home runs, six of which have come at Turner Field. -- ESPN.com | |
| Week 3 | 11-1 | 1 | The Braves are the hottest team in baseball, led by the power of Justin Upton and Evan Gattis as well as superb pitching from Paul Maholm (0.00 ERA in 20 1/3 innings), Mike Minor (0.69 ERA), Kris Medlen (1.50 ERA) and Tim Hudson (2.50 ERA). Not only did they take care of the Nationals in three games this past weekend, but they did so while facing the Nationals' top two starters. -- Ben Duronio, Capitol Avenue Club | |
| Week 2 | 5-1 | 2 | Six games and five home runs for Justin Upton. With the Braves having high expectations for the season, getting off to a 5-1 start backed up by Upton and solid starting pitching is exactly what the team had hoped for. -- Ben Duronio, Capitol Avenue Club | |
| Week 1 | 0-0 | 5 | In the past several years, the Braves have had one of the most left-handed lineups in the game, frequently finishing near the bottom of the league in offensive performance against left-handed pitching. Acquiring the Upton brothers this past offseason should balance out a 94-win team's offense and put them in prime position to make another run at the playoffs. -- Ben Duronio, Capitol Avenue Club | |