NEW YORK, NY - MAY 02: Sean Newcomb #15 of the Atlanta Braves delivers a pitch in the first inning against the New York Mets on May 2, 2018 at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Anybody who considers themselves an Atlanta fan has to be enthralled with the type of season the Braves have been delivering.

Anybody who considers themselves an Atlanta fan has to be enthralled with the type of season the Braves have been delivering. Although we’re still a long ways off from the season’s halfway point, the Braves have managed to put themselves in a position to win the NL East. At the time of writing this article, the Braves have a ½ game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies that ranks them 1st in the division. Considering that Atlanta is coming off four straight consecutive losing seasons, there has to be something responsible for the turnaround. What could it be?

The Braves 2018 Turnaround

Judging by the shutout victory the Braves enjoyed this past Tuesday night, it should be fairly easy to figure out what’s the catalyst for the Braves’ 2018 success. In fact, Atlanta’s 1-0 triumph over the Rays marks their 5th shutout victory this season.

Considering Atlanta has only competed in 34 games so far, it’s safe to say that things are going quite well. As a matter of fact, Atlanta delivered but 6 shutout victories last season. Clearly, the club is doing an extremely well job of turning things around. Ultimately, the win over the Rays not only made a case for starting pitcher Sean Newcomb, it is a clear-cut example of just how much Atlanta’s pitching has improved.

For those out of the loop, Atlanta competed in 162 games last season. And out of those 162, as aforementioned, the Braves only delivered shutouts in 6 games. That’s an extremely low percentage. However, it’s clear that percentage hasn’t carried over into 2018. To help better understand the magnitude of this turnaround, let’s take a look at the Braves’ numbers on the season.

For starters, Atlanta’s ERA, as a team, is sitting at 3.74 at the time of writing of this article. That gives them the 10th best ERA in the entire MLB. For comparison, the Braves delivered a 4.63 ERA to finish 25th overall in the MLB. That ERA would finish in a 73-win season, which is significantly worse than the path the Braves are currently on.

One of the most crucial reasons for Atlanta’s pitching recovery has to be Newcomb. So far this season, Newcomb is sitting on a 3-1 record in addition to a 2.88 ERA. Despite being a rookie, Newcomb gave up just two hits through six innings of pitching in the Braves’ most recent match. This was Newcomb’s first start since he led Atlanta to a victory over the Mets on May 2nd.

Surprisingly enough, those back to back performances put Newcomb in some pretty high company. In fact, Newcomb is the 1st Atlanta Brave to give up fewer than two hits in back to back shutout starts of a minimum of 6 innings since Greg Maddux did it back in 1999. Breaking a 19-year streak is pretty impressive and there’s no question that the Braves, scratch that, the entire MLB has taken notice.

All in all, the Braves’ new pitching unit make them a great betting option down the road. Whenever Newcomb is one the mound, you can feel confident in backing the Braves knowing they will likely win.