Do or Die: How Interleague Play Will Decide Atlanta Braves' Fate

The next few weeks may prove to be a pivotal point for the Braves to jump ahead or fall behind in ultimately winning or losing the division. Oddly enough though, the battle will not be raged within the division nor within the National League, but on the far distant battlefields of the American League.

The long stretch for interleague play begins for the 13th season this weekend. Unbeknown to the casual baseball fan, but known to the diehards and those who have been around a long time, interleague play is fairly new to America's sacred sport.

Interleague play first began in 1997. The first game was held on June 12 of that year between the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers. Before 1997 AL and NL teams did not compete against each other in the regular season. The only time both leagues would see each other was in spring training and the world series.

All that is now changed. Hate it or not, interleague play provides fans opportunities to see teams and players they frequently wouldn't see. Interleague play also can schedule rematches of the previous year's world series, which has happened or will happen eight times (1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009).

Furthermore play can also provide geographical “cross-town” matchups that can only be seen in world series play, such as the Subway Series in New York and the Windy City series in Chicago.

Within all of this play lies a subliminal result: the maintainability or overturn of an entire division. Interleague play can most certainly shake up a division. The reason why is because of when interleague games are scheduled during the season.

Dictated by Major League Baseball, all interleague games are played the third weekend in May and the rest start usually the second weekend of June. Teams will typically play 15 or 18 interleague games a year.

Some NL teams will only play 12 games. Two NL teams have to play each other because of the fact there are two more teams in the NL than in the AL.

These games fall right before the All-Star break and one month before the trade deadline. In addition interleague games are played a third of the way into the season. Interleague games can inadvertently make, or break, a team's season.

Interleague play cannot come at a worse time for the Braves. Currently Atlanta is 6.5 games back from the Philadelphia Phillies and are 2.5 games behind the New York Mets. Simply put, if the Braves want to put themselves back into position in the NL East they have to play well during interleague play.

Playing well against the AL teams Atlanta is scheduled against will be a struggle. The Braves will play 15 interleague games this year, three of which have already been played against Toronto.

The remaining 12 begins with a three game series against the Orioles in Baltimore. Next week Atlanta gets a break and has to play Cincinnati during the week, followed by a series with the Red Sox, and a makeup game with the Cubs.

After that Atlanta rounds out its interleague schedule with games against the Yankees and another series against the Red Sox.

Manager Bobby Cox's team has quite a mountain to climb if they want to get back into the division race, especially since the bottom half of the offense isn't hitting well. Hope may come next week when first baseman Casey Kotchman is tentatively scheduled to come back from a bruised shin.

Typically the Braves have performed well in interleague play with a record of 103-93, the fourth best in the NL behind the Marlins, Nationals/Expos, and the Mets. Last year the Braves went 8-7.

The only other team during 2008 in the NL East to have a winning interleague record was the Mets with a 9-6 record. Division leading Phillies did the worst last year putting up a 4-11 record.

Mercifully to the Brave fan, Atlanta isn't the only team with a strong interleague schedule. The Phillies will have to play Boston, Tampa Bay, Baltimore, and will also play two series against Toronto. The Mets play the Yankees six times and also play Baltimore and Tampa Bay.

Atlanta's key strength will lie in its superb pitching. Both Derek Lowe and Javier Vazquez played in the American League and their experience will no doubt prove to be a great attribute for the Braves.

Newcomer Kenshin Kawakami kept Toronto at bay with no runs when he pitched against them and Atlanta also has a hidden ace in the hole with Jair Jurrjens. Wonderboy Tommy Hanson will be allowed to prove his worth as well.

With Braves pitching being so stout, little run support may be the deciding factor. Garret Anderson, Jeff Francoeur, and Kelly Johnson will all have to step up and play their hearts out if the Braves want to come out alive and be contenders.

Already this year the Phillies and Mets have proven both the Yankees and Red Sox respectively can be beaten by a NL East team. With the hard schedules the Braves still have a chance to come back but it may be their last.

No matter what though the Braves will have to play every interleague game like its game seven of the world series if they want to come out of it on top of the division.