Braves lineup continues to shift as necessary

ATLANTA -- Like most teams, the Braves keep track of how many different starting lineups they use over the course of a season.

That number stood at 27 entering Thursday night's series finale with the Milwaukee Brewers.

While 27 different starting lineups in 45 games may seem like a lot, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez is neither alarmed nor expecting the number to slow down any time soon.

"I break that every year," said Gonzalez, with a laugh. "I'm on pace."

While lineup juggling may seem to represent instability, there is a method to the madness, and there are multiple variables such as dealing with injuries while simultaneously trying to avoid the injury bug.

"Sometimes it's due to injuries," Gonzalez said. "It's hard because guys get banged up, and they have days off and you have matchups. I think it's pretty much across the board. [The Brewers] ran out a different lineup yesterday than they did the day before."

If history is any indication, Braves fans should root for as many different lineups as possible, as having more lineups has translated to more wins.

In 2012, Atlanta used 107 different lineups in winning 94 games and a Wild Card berth. In 2013, they used 115 lineups and won 96 games and the National League East Division.