2. Will last season's NLDS flop linger for the Atlanta Braves?
Postseason demons are a funny thing and hard to put your finger on and often unexplainable mental hurdles. The last example for the Braves that comes to mind is the Los Angeles Dodgers staying in Atlanta's head with the team clearly being just as talented (if not more) and unable to beat a franchise that simply had their number for a time.
Atlanta ended this in the 2021 season, beating the Dodgers in the postseason before taking on the Houston Astros in their first World Series win since the 1995 season. The postseason demons seemed to have finally died and Atlanta put what felt like a cursed sports city in the spotlight for positive reasons.
Fast forward one season and the Braves are clear favorites in the NLDS against the Phillies. It was a series that Philly dominated from the start and embarrassed the defending World Series champs. While the Braves had zero problems beating divison oppnents during the season, will any of last season's postseason struggles linger?
While it seems unlikely with this offense, it is a fair question to ask considering how good the Braves were in the 2022 season as well. The Phillies dominated the series and went on to lose in the World Series to Houston.