Well, the Braves didn’t do much to upend the Cubs’ playoff chances, rolling over for a standard series loss earlier this week. This weekend, though, they really have a chance to create some foul-smelling soup as far as the AL West goes.

The Braves are set to play the Mariners this weekend. The Mariners are four back of the Astros in the AL West, but just 1.5 games ahead of the Rangers for the final Wild Card spot. The Royals and Rays are also lurking, two games back of said spot. On top of that, the Astros and Rangers play this weekend. If the Braves stand tall, and the Rangers take out their cross-state rivals, things can get very interesting — especially given that the Braves will have a chance to cause more problems next weekend, when they host the Astros. (The Braves also play the Cubs again next week, but that has fewer implications than their dates with the current top two in the AL West.)

After that, it’s just the Tigers and non-contenders on the slate for the Braves, so this is their last chance to have some sort of impact on the season. Will they? What do you think?