Marlins division rivals are completely falling apart

Ozzie Albies
Ozzie Albies / Brett Davis/GettyImages

The Miami Marlins are not going to the playoffs this season, nor have The Fish ever even won the division. This is frustrating to know. What's not frustrating historically, is that The Fish won the World Series just as many times in the last 30 years as the Atlanta Braves and more than all of the other division rivals. The Atlanta Braves have won the division annually since 2018, but that run is coming to an end...

The Fish don't have to worry about the Atlanta Braves as much anymore

The Philadelphia Phillies are in complete control of the NL East these days. They're leading the division by 8.5 games and have a commanding 63-36 W-L record and a .636 winning percentage. The Atlanta Braves are currently in second place with a 54-44 W-L record and a .551 winning percentage. It would seemingly take a miracle for them to turn things around, as far as winning the division goes of course.

Atlanta has been riddled with injuries all season. The latest is to 2B Ozzie Albies, who is now out for eight weeks due to a wrist fracture. Albies has a .258/.310/.407 batting line, with 8 home runs and 46 RBI in 90 games and 361 AB this season. He was better and healthier last season, when he batted .280/.336/.513, with 33 home runs and 109 RBI in 148 games and 596 AB. It's unlikely that this injury will affect him long-term, but it's definitely a blow this season.

There are injuries that will affect them long-term however.... ace Max Fried is out with forearm neuritis. He's on the 15-day IL now and is likely out of the door after the season as a free agent. Co-ace Spencer Strider is out for the season with a UCL injury. The team's best player RF Ronald Acuna Jr. is out for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee. The latter injury is especially worrying, as it could affect Acuna's speed long-term. It's also notable that he was going through a down season. He was batting just .250/.351/.365, after batting .337/.416/.596 last season.

Could the Atlanta Braves be ceding the division long-term?

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