Something wicked this way comes.   Something powerful.  Something scary. Something that could derail the Braves in the NL East quicker than the wicked witch of the west.    Something that could prove scarier than Jayson Werth’s beard.  That something is the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Thanks to interleague play, the Rays come to Atlanta to play a series with the ever more vulnerable Braves.  The Mets are creeping up faster than the rivers are rising here in Montana standing at only 1.5 games back.  The Braves only hope is that the Rays have cooled off just a little bit of late.  It is quite possibly their only hope.  Otherwise, this could get very, very wicked.

The Rays pitching has been outstanding up until their most recent couple of games.  Overall though, they have one of the best if not the best in all of baseball pitching rotations.  They have outstanding pitch control and limit runs to 1 or 2 a game.  If you can’t get out ahead of them they will pitch you and then hit you into a hole you will never recover from.  They have done it time and time again this season.  Like I said, the Braves only hope is to pray they have cooled off enough for them to take advantage of a slight slump.

The Braves will start off the series by throwing Kawakami.  He has built up a little confidence by throwing back to back wins, but I’m not sure it is nearly enough to stop the Rays onslaught.  The Rays find themselves in a precarious position as well now tied for first in the AL East with the resurgent Yankees.  Both teams are in a must win for this series of games. 

With the tenuous position of both teams, they will both be equally motivated to win. That being the case, it will come down to execution.  Pitching, hitting, and fielding will have to be spot on to come out on top.  I think the games will be close, or is it that I’m hoping they will. One game that results in a blowout could tip momentum in the winning team’s favor for the rest of the series.  And like I said, neither team can afford a loss, though one has to lose every game.  One loss for either team and it could shift the teams at the top of their respective divisions.  Multiple losses and it’s back to climbing out of a hole for the Braves and for the Rays, it would be their first time out of first place this entire season.  

It shapes up to be a great series.  One I’ve looked forward to all year.  I like both of these teams very much, but am a Braves fan in my heart.  Get ready, something wicked this way comes and it may turn out to be the series of the year.