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Welcome to SB Nation FanPulse, a survey of fans across MLB. Each week, we send 30 polls to plugged in fans from each team. Braves fans, sign up HERE to join FanPulse.
The Atlanta Braves are riding high and that was apparent even before Thursday’s series opening victory over the Washington Nationals that extended their NL East lead to eight full games. Atlanta overcame a lackluster start to August to finish 19-9 which was their second best record in any month this season. They are undefeated through four games in September and are looking like they may take the drama out of the division race.
As a result, confidence in the direction of the team among our FanPulse voters has reached a season-high holding steady at 99% for the second straight week.
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That is the third straight week that confidence has been 95% or above and marked the 10th time in the last 11 weeks than it has been 90% or above. FanPulse voters are high on manager Brian Snitker’s job performance but not quite as high as in the direction of the team. Snitker’s approval rating fell slightly this week to 89% down from 90% last week. He has enjoyed 17 straight weeks with an approval rating of at least 80%.
This week’s national question centers on bench-clearing brawls and whether they are ever ok. I’m a bit surprised but 59% of FanPulse voters voted yes that sometimes bench-clearing brawls are in fact ok.
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The answer to this question is clearly false. While there may be no way to actually prevent them from ever occurring, they usually stem from something happening that shouldn’t have in the first place. Think Ronald Acuña Jr. getting plunked on the first pitch of a game for being good at baseball. While some may find brawls entertaining, they increase the risk of injury and usually result in suspensions.
That is it for this week. Let us know what you think in the comments below. We are in the final few weeks of the season but there is still time for you to get on board and be a part of our FanPulse voting. Just go to this link to get signed up and you can be a part of next week’s voting.