The Atlanta Braves are probably very happy to be at the All-Star break. 2026 started in the best way possible, with the team dominating over the first two months. They'd buried their division rivals with a massive lead, but injuries and a disastrous June derailed all of that hot start. It all started when Ronald Acuna Jr. went down with his second hamstring injury of the season.
Atlanta's offense slashed .213/.270/.329 with a .599 OPS over 23 games in June. That's a far cry from the numbers they put up over the first two months. Luckily, the month of July has started on a better foot offensively, despite the tough series losses. The starting pitching started to fall apart with the exception of Chris Sale. That will be something that has to be addressed at the trade deadline for sure.
The bullpen has mostly been a bright spot with some rough outings here and there. But that's to be expected. So what felt like the start of a great season became a bit worrisome for fans. The Braves hold just a two game division lead over the Phillies at the break.
However, the Braves have excelled all year on the defensive side. That's something the team has always taken pride in.
Braves' excellence on defense has saved them from an even worse season
Atlanta is currently tied with the Padres for the 6th-best team OAA in baseball at 14. The defense also carries the 5th-best DRS at 40. Ozzie Albies, Mauricio Dubon, Michael Harris II, and Matt Olson have really led the way for the defense. They all carry some of the best OAA's in baseball at their respective positions.
That has probably saved them from having an even worse season. A big indicator of this is that Atlanta is tied for the 8th fewest errors in baseball, with 42 of them. That's huge in MLB games and has probably kept the Braves in the division lead despite the offensive collapse.
While fans desperately need the offense to get back on track and key players to remain healthy, the defense has at least been a nice bright spot. They'll need to keep up this great defensive work to help the pitching staff out while they figure things out.
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