The Braves were unceremoniously bounced in the NLDS last fall, after Atlanta won 101 games and took the NL East division. Thus far, the Braves look like a team on a mission, as Atlanta throttled teams over the first half. Here’s a closer look at Atlanta’s first half.
Related: 2023 MLB First Half Recap: Arizona Diamondbacks
The Good
What more can be said about the Atlanta Braves that hasn’t been said already. Atlanta entered the day on July 9 with the league’s best team ERA (3.55) and the highest team OPS (.833).
Let’s start off with the lineup. The Braves lineup has virtually no holes — remarkable given the loss of Dansby Swanson this past winter. Orlando Arcia slotted in to Swanson’s spot and performed admirably thus far, and earned an All-Star appearance via the fan vote.
Marcell Ozuna and Eddie Rosario rebounded, and the usual suspects — Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies, and Matt Olson — have been amazing. We also have to touch on Sean Murphy, who’s exploded in Atlanta. Murphy hit 17 home runs in his first 67 games of the 2023 campaign, just one shy of his career-high (18) that he recorded last season.
Entering play on July 9, the Braves had six players in the top 30 of the MLB home run leaderboard.
On the pitching side of things, the Braves lost two major names early on, but Atlanta’s staff has continued to frustrate hitters. Spencer Strider has struck out a league-high 166 batters, while Bryce Elder became an All-Star after an outstanding first half. Charlie Morton continues to frustrate hitters, as he’s accumulated 111 strikeouts over his first 97 innings.
The Bad
The Braves bullpen has stabilized after a rough start, in which Atlanta thrust A.J. Minter back into the closer’s role. It didn’t go well, but he rebounded once Raisel Iglesias returned and assumed the ninth inning for the Braves.
Kirby Yates is another name that did struggle early on, but he too has rebounded. From May 25-July 8, Yates struck out 25 over 17.2 IP and owned a strong 2.55 ERA.
The Braves also lost Max Fried and Kyle Wright early in the season, both massive blows to Atlanta. However, the Braves have managed to stem the tide while those two have been on the IL.
As far as updates on the two are concerned, Fried has begun his rehab assignment, while Wright was cleared to throw last month.
What’s Ahead
It will be interesting to see how the Braves approach this deadline. Offensively speaking, the Braves have virtually no holes. The Braves rotation has also performed well, despite the losses of Fried and Wright.
We picked the Braves to win it all right before the start of the season. That prediction looks good at this moment.