To call the Braves' 2024 season rocky might be an understatement.
Atlanta suffered massive setbacks when Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered season-ending injuries in the first half, and extended absences by Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies didn't help matters.
Aside from Marcell Ozuna, the Braves' offense just hasn't looked anything like it did last season. Riley struggled out of the gate, as did Acuna before the injury. Michael Harris II and Sean Murphy have also had a hard time replicating their 2023 production.
With Matt Olson heating up and Chris Sale barreling toward a Cy Young Award to cap his resurgent season, however, the Braves are hoping they can get hot at the right time just as they did in 2021.
Is a return to the postseason likely? Here's a look at where the Braves stand in the NL wild-card picture at this point.
MORE: Updated MLB standings, magic numbers
Braves updated MLB playoff picture, standings
Here are the latest wild-card standings: Standings updated through games on Sept. 29.
National League wild-card standings
- WC1: Padres, 93-69 (.574), +4.0 GB
- WC2: Braves, 88-72 (.550)
- WC3: Mets, 88-72 (.550)
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- Diamondbacks, 89-73 (.549), 0.0 GB
- Cubs, 83-79 (.512), ELIMINATED
- Cardinals, 83-79 (.512), ELIMINATED
- Giants, 80-82 (.494), ELIMINATED
- Reds, 77-85 (.475), ELIMINATED
- Pirates, 76-85 (.472), ELIMINATED
- Nationals, 71-91 (.438), ELIMINATED
- Marlins, 62-100 (.383), ELIMINATED
- Rockies, 61-101 (.377), ELIMINATED
The Braves missed a chance to clinch a postseason berth on Sunday, but they just need one win over the Mets on Monday to punch their ticket. Two wins would make no difference for Atlanta, while two losses would send the Braves home.
If the MLB season ended today
The Braves would be the NL's No. 5 seed and face the Padres in the Wild Card Round if the season ended today.
MORE: Why insider says Braves' Chris Sale trade was 'move of the year'
Braves remaining schedule
The Braves' final two games against the Mets were postponed from Wednesday and Thursday due to Hurricane Helene.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| Sept. 30 | vs. Mets | 1:10 p.m. |
| Sept. 30 | vs. Mets | 4:40 p.m. |
Braves MLB magic number
A magic number is the number of wins (by the leading team) and/or losses (by the trailing team) needed for a team to clinch a particular race. The Braves' magic number is one.
MLB playoff tiebreakers
The expanded postseason format introduced in 2022 eliminated tiebreaker games, which were known as "Game 163." Instead, head-to-head tiebreakers are simply determined by head-to-head record.
If the record is even, the next tiebreaker is record within each team's division — even if they're in separate divisions. If that also fails to break the stalemate, the next tiebreaker is record within the league (American or National).
The process is a bit more complicated for three-team ties. If one team has a winning record against each of the other teams, that team wins the tiebreaker. If two teams have an identical record against each other but both have a better record against the third team, the third team is out and the head-to-head process would be used to split the remaining two teams.
Some tiebreakers won't be determined until more games are played. For example, the Braves hold a 6-5 edge in their season series against the Mets, but they have two games left to play against New York.
