2024 has been a trying year for the Atlanta Braves but they managed to make it through the first half of the season with a winning record. The offense has struggled after being the best in baseball last season. Injuries plagued the team and they lost two of their star players two months into the campaign.
However, despite all of those setbacks, the Braves had a successful first half full of surprises and success. Here, we will examine three takeaways from that frustratingly successful first half.
Atlanta Braves pitching proves to be the biggest strength in 2024
The Braves were expected to have a good bullpen and starting rotation in 2024 but the team has exceeded that expectation. Atlanta boasts the best pitching in baseball with a 3.40 ERA through the first half. The bullpen isn't a surprise as the front office has always shown a great ability to stockpile great relievers.
The starting staff was a bit of a question mark as Reynaldo Lopez was being stretched out to start and Chris Sale hadn't completed a full season in many years. Once Spencer Strider went down for the season, it felt like the team might be doomed in that department. Fortunately, that has not been the case and the top three pitchers in the rotation earned spots on the All-Star team. Reynaldo Lopez leads MLB with a 1.88 ERA and Chris Sale has made a case for the Cy Young already with a 13-3 record and 2.70 ERA.
Chris Sale was arguably the National League's first-half Cy Young 🔥
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) July 16, 2024
Will he continue his dominance after the All-Star break and win the award for the first time in his career?@TexasPete | #HeatCheck pic.twitter.com/dLfMHxVcHZ
Max Fried started the season on the wrong foot but he quickly found his way back and now has a 3.08 ERA through 108 innings pitched. Charlie Morton has been inconsistent but he's still providing the team with valuable innings and the fifth spot was a bit of a carousel but rookie Spencer Schwellenbach has started to solidify himself in the rotation.
Atlanta's bullpen has been very reliable and they carry the second-best ERA among relief cores in baseball (best in NL). They have a 2.94 ERA through 309 innings with 93 walks and 308 strikeouts. While offense was expected to be the strength this season, that hasn't been the case but the pitching being elite has helped offset that lull. As long as Atlanta can keep their pitchers healthy, fans should see more of the same in the second half.
Record-setting Braves offense mysteriously disappeared
2023 was full of excitement as the Atlanta Braves kept their foot on the gas all season long. Unfortunately, that didn't carry over into 2024 as the team struggled to be consistent the entire first half. Marcell Ozuna was practically the only hitter in the lineup who was hitting on a nightly basis. It felt like every time the team had runners on base, they couldn't capitalize and have the big inning they needed.
The team average was good through the first month with a .268 average but it dipped alarmingly in May and June. In May the team average was .227 with a .662 OPS and .230 in June with a .688 OPS. Things are starting to trend in the right direction for July as the team average is currently .235 and the OPS is at .705 so far.
Ending the first half of the season on a high note.@nickgreen20 and @PeterMoylan recap all the action from the series finale in San Diego.@Xfinity | #HighSpeedRecap pic.twitter.com/EY5tavsDB0
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) July 14, 2024
In 2023, the Braves headed to the All-Star break leading the majors in multiple categories including home runs (169), slugging percentage (.492), and OPS (.830). However, this season, they are tied for 10th (109), 11th (.405), and 14th (.709) in those respective categories.
Players that were struggling like Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Matt Olson have started to figure some things out at the plate and once they've returned to their previous form, things should change for the offense in the second half. This is still a powerful lineup but they need to get back to being patient at the plate and taking advantage of mistakes.
The Phillies might end Atlanta's NL East dominance in 2024
Fans felt pretty confident coming into the season that the Braves would easily win the division as they've done the last six seasons. However, the Philadelphia Phillies had other plans this season and have taken full advantage of their rival's struggles.
Philadelphia finished the first half with the second-best team ERA just behind Atlanta at 3.41 and the Phillies offense has the third-best average in baseball (.259). They are also tied with the Yankees for third-best OPS in baseball at .755 and lead the Braves by 8.5 games in the division standings. They have been locked in virtually all season long and it hasn't slowed down.
Their schedule gets a little tougher in the second half so the Braves will hope that helps them gain some ground in the standings. However, they'll need to find some more offensive consistency to make that a possibility. If not, the Braves currently lead the NL Wild Card with a four-game lead over the Cardinals and Mets. It wouldn't be an ideal way to make the playoffs but they would still have a shot.
All of the injuries and underperformance have made the first half feel unsuccessful. However, when you take a closer look, it has been successful and there's nowhere to go but up. The team will address areas of concern at the trade deadline and push for a shot at another World Series title.