Sean Murphy and rookie Drake Baldwin have combined to be one of the best catching tandems in baseball this season. In a season lacking for positive stories for the Atlanta Braves, the production from the catcher position has to be one of the best developments this season.
In the series opener against St. Louis, both Baldwin and Murphy were in the same lineup for just the second time this season. The duo would combine to go 5-9 with two homers and three RBI. If Atlanta wants to turn things around offensively in the second half, running a lineup with Murphy and Baldwin more regularly has to be in the cards.
Braves need to IL Marcell Ozuna and let both catchers cook
The reason fans haven't seen more of the double catcher lineup this season is because Atlanta is one of the few teams that employ a full-time DH. Marcell Ozuna is normally worthy of playing every single day, but this season has been a tough go for the big bear.
While Ozuna has been trending in the wrong direction, both Murphy and Baldwin have been swinging a hot bat. In the month of July Baldwin is carrying a 162 wRC+ and Murphy held a 119 wRC+ BEFORE his two homer game on Friday night. Meanwhile, Ozuna has a 49 wRC+ in the month of July. We've seen that the Braves really struggle to score runs in their losses, so penciling in as many hot hitters as you can on the lineup card should be the strategy every night.
The easy solution to all of this is placing Ozuna on the IL and open up the DH spot for Baldwin and Murphy to alternate. Ozuna's hip injury certainly can't get any worse if he was to rest up on the IL for a couple weeks, and in exchange the Braves get two of their best hitters in the lineup on a nightly basis. Unless they plan on trading a low value Ozuna at the trade deadline in a couple weeks, this seems to be our only hope at getting the dynamic catching duo in the same lineup more regularly.