The Atlanta Braves remain firmly in the Wild Card race with hopes of making a run at the National League East, but can they find consistency in the second half?
There have been highs and lows for the Atlanta offense, but some encouraging signs have the club pondering what exactly to do at the trade deadline. While the Braves would no doubt like to add some thump, what clubs will be sellers with so many National League teams still very much in the Wild Card race?
Atlanta’s unlikely All-Star trio is set for action. Newcomers Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez have been rocks in rotation while Marcell Ozuna has been the driving force in the Braves lineup. Just one year after sending a franchise-best eight representatives to the Midsummer Classic, the Braves send three completely different players to Arlington.
Grant McAuley and Kris Willis discuss all of that and preview the final series of the first half as the Braves visit the San Diego Padres on this edition of BPTV. Be sure to like, share, subscribe and check out BatteryPower.com
[Music] the first half is winding down in the Atlanta Braves are heading into the final weekend before the allstar break looking to finish on a high note and then maybe just recharge their batteries for a few days for the stretch drive that follows I’m Grant McCaul he’s Chris Willis this is battery power TV before we get started go ahead hit that thumbs up button right down there leave us a like on this episode and make sure you’re subscribed and turn on those notifications so that you will know every time we drop a new episode of bptv and don’t be shy go ahead and leave a comment as well there’s a lot to talk about on this edition of the show as there is every single week Chris the Braves are conducting a little business out west the four game stay in Arizona followed by a three-game set against the Padre’s this weekend and then we will be at the halfway point as it were even though mathematically we passed that a little while back and it’s been a strange ride in the first half that may be the first and biggest understatement of this show or oversimplification if you will but it seems like some of Atlanta’s bats could be showing some signs that the best is yet to come for this team which bodess well since they have pitched as well as they have this year yeah the offense is starting to show uh Signs of Life which I think is is uh you know a welcome sight given the struggles that they’ve had uh since the first month of the season so uh you know I mean I think you you I think it’s important that they kind of finish off this Western Road Trip and in on in on a good note and build try to build some momentum going into the allstar break and because I mean the trade deadline’s going to be right around the corner I expect them to add some reinforcements uh but you know I mean as you as you mentioned I mean we’re getting to that point here soon where it’s just going to be the Sprint to the finish line and and it’s important to be playing well when you get to that point no doubt and you’re bring up the trade deadline something we will touch on quite a few times during the course of the show even though we’re not going to go full scale into all the trade speculation that certainly will follow over the next couple of weeks but it’s a conversation to be had and let’s talk about reunions because the Braves had one of those this week Eddie Rosario back with Atlanta after being cut loose by the Washington Nationals he batted just 183 in 67 games only seven home runs for the Nats and was made Expendable following the call up of slugging prospect James Wood to go ahead and get that era potentially anyway started up in DC and that aside the Nationals likely saw Rosario when they signed him as a lowcost bridge that may have some value at the trade deadline that simply was not going to be the case after that sluggy start for Rosario and he was designated for assignment the praise meanwhile what’s that old slogan they’re looking for a Few Good Men they’re looking for a few good outfielders and there’s something to say for that change of scenery even if it’s scenery that Rosario knows very well and given the state of Atlanta’s Outfield the is STS for Brian Anderson and then Ramone laurano it was important that the Braves do something rather than rely on minor league Journeymen to fill the void on one of the corner spots Chris Rosario could be a bridge or a stop stop Gap whatever you want to call it for whatever Alex anopolis could do in a couple of weeks at the trade deadline but the bottom line is he had to do something right yeah I mean coming home has worked well for Jesse Chavez so you know maybe some of that magic could could run uh rub off on Eddie Rosario as well but I mean I I don’t think it I mean it was a a great opportunity to give him a you know give him a fresh start after the slow start in Washington you know give him give him two or three weeks run here up until up till the deadline see what you’ve got because you know we know how hot he can get at times and and you know as you mentioned I mean Braves just really didn’t have any depth I mean no offense to guys like Forest wall and and others but you know Luke Williams is another I mean if you’re running those guys out those guys are fine bench pieces but when you’re having to run them one of them out there every single night you know it really shows and drags down the offense so yeah I like it Adam Deval showing some signs of life too and I mean uh you know I think it’s a it’s a good it’s a good thing to get Eddie in there and let’s see what he can do yeah and since Adam Duval got that walk-off hit against the Pirates weekend before last he has shown some serious signs of life and from the side of dealing with right-handed pitchers which was such a problem for him but getting Rosario in this mix either way I agree with you agree with me so I guess we’re in agreeance here let’s boil it down to that that you know the options that the Braves had were far from ideal but the reason why the bra Braves have the kind of options that they do is because typically they have the same guys out there just about every single day and some of the plans and pieces that were put in place has simply have not been able to come to fruition for the Braves this year and obviously the injury setback is the biggest of all I don’t want to jump the gun and Go full trade talk here this week but we know it’s around the corner that trade deadline on July 30th and even if we don’t know what the market is going to look like just yet because we I don’t think we know who’s going to be sellers at this point however it was worth a shot I think to if Rosario could fill the void as you mentioned because there are a couple of key outfielders who were done you know with Ronald lunia Jr for the year Michael Harris sideline for a number of weeks though his return could be coming in the second half as well and it feels like finding a fit in the Outfield is still going to remain at least one of the priorities for Atlanta and Alex anthopoulos later this month interesting thing is while they love years of control we know that about Braves trades in the past see Jared Kellick for example the 2025 Outfield is already pretty much set because you have lunia Jr coming back you have Michael Harris you have Jared Kellick that makes whatever the Braves do here soon and even more fascinating decision if you really start to break it down Chris which is what we do on this show yeah I mean I think it’s much more of a 2021 uh situation or even um you know when uh they they signed traded for Robbie grman you know I think we’re looking at a possibly you know a guy that’s more of a rental uh which is you know that’s a lower price tag too in in a lot of sense um often times at the deadline so you know I think we’re looking we’ll be looking at that because as you said I mean the 2025 outfi I think we’re we’re set you know they’re set as far as that goes if if they can keep everybody healthy may want to add some depth to that um but yeah I mean I think I think we’re looking at rental additions here and you know preferably one that’s going to going to be able to provide some offensive punch yeah you’d certainly like that in 2021 I know it comes up a lot and I we talk about it a lot because uh some good things happened in that year at the trade deadline and then a little bit later that season the best possible thing happened for the Atlanta Braves and winning the World Series it’s not to say that Lightning’s going to strike twice but it’s also to say that when you’ve been down this road before having that experience could give the Braves at least some advantage on knowing how to navigate the uncertainty of going without one of the best players in baseball which they have done before never wanted to do it again and you hate that Ronald’s having to go through it but the Braves have been able to figure this out and I would say at this time around there’s a lot more Talent than there was on the 2021 Club just based off returning the cast of characters from a year ago offensively speaking and I’ll just stick a pin in it there because we’ spent I think all year talking about what this Talent is capable of the question is can they do it in the second half and we’re all going to find out together now we need to do a little bit of Allstar talk because it’s coming up here in the next few days last year the Braves sent eight All Stars up to Seattle this year the Braves have three Allstars and it’s a completely different group none of the guys who were there last year are going back Chris S earned his eighth All-Star honor his first since 2018 Marcel Ozuna makes it for the third time his first since 2017 and then there’s Ronaldo Lopez the first timer a man who successfully transitioned from the bullpen back to the rotation and he’s been among MLB’s leaders in erra all season long three very worthy candidates but what a strange ride to see these three names and none of last year’s crew make it back Chris yeah I mean it’s a little disappointing that you know the Braves just haven’t been able to duplicate some of that offensive success but you know again on the other hand it’s a great story with s and Lopez because you and I T discussed several times about how we thought those were two of the most underrated moves of the off season that not enough people even in Atlanta were were talking about you know how good of the moves moves those were and then you know to see them both put up All-Star caliber SE seasons in the first half you know I think they’ve I think it’s it’s it’s easy to say that they’ve exceeded expectations and then Marcel Zuna I mean he’s carried the offense uh you from day one he’s been the one constant you know in this in this group and uh even when he cooled off a little bit you know he’s he’s still come up with big hits and it looks like he’s heating up again excited to see him in the Home Run Derby yeah um so yeah it’s going to be it’s going to be fun it’s a little disappoint I mean you’d love to see Austin Riley Matt olssen you know know some of those guys there even you know I mean COA Strider obviously seasons were cut short but I mean I think we can be happy for the guys that did make it oh no doubt about it some good stories there certainly for Chris S just getting his career back on track I’ll get more back into him in a moment and we’ll talk about Lopez and the route that he took to become an All-Star for the first time but let’s talk about the third man and I don’t mean Hollywood Hulk Hogan Marcel Ozuna is going to be taking part in the Home Run Derby as you mentioned which should be an entertaining opportunity for the man they call the Big Bear he’s no stranger home runs he ranked second in the National League and fourth in Major League Baseball as of Wednesday’s action with 24 home runs on the year easily the most on the Braves this season as well which is another strange story Chris you and I have watched this guy take a lot of BP at truis Park and he’s certainly someone who can send a baseball into orbit or the far reaches of whatever ballpark he’s hitting in I think he’s got as good a chance as anybody I do too and I thought it was interesting you know I think he I think he told David O’Brien during that slump that he started trying to hit home runs and once he stopped he started hitting them again you know so that’s going to be an interesting Dynamic also but we also know that uh Home Run Derby they’re not going to be swinging some of at some of these baseballs that look like wet socks either so these things are probably going to be jumping uh there and I mean I think I mean if he can you know I I like the the new format’s going to be interesting a little bit some of the new rules but I agree with you I think he’s got as much power as anybody and if he can get on a roll you know I think he I think he’s a guy to keep an eye on what’s that old saying get hot at the right time I feel like we’re going to use that one a lot this year but be that as it may also heading to the All-Star Game in Arlington Chris S and Ronaldo Lopez both big stories and huge reasons why the Braves have been able to maintain a pace of about 10 games over 500 despite the fact that a lot of that was set up for them back in April they being the Braves but both of these guys have delivered in rotation and they certainly needed somebody to did the Braves after losing Spencer Strider after just two starts SE looks like I feel like the sa young favorite in the National League if you disagree or want to argue about it he’s definitely on the short list of top candidates I know there are plenty of people who wondered if the Braves were making the right move by acquiring a pitcher with such an injury history an extensive one but s has rewarded Atlanta for its investment and is showing that he still has plenty left in the tank I think I mean I think every he’s exceeded everybody’s expectations I mean you know we heard him talk during the offseason that he was healthy at this time and I think you got to credit for the PR for doing their homework I think they they really thought that he might be healthy and especially when they went out and gave him the extension ahead of time too so you know it looks like he looks like vintage Chris S at this point and I agree with you I think if he’s not the sa young favorite in the NL he’s got to be in the short list and if he can finish strong in the second half I think he’s got a good shot at it yeah he does and this is something surprised it’s an award that he has not won before so that would be quite a fascinating little tale for Chris S in his first year and at this stage of his career and rolling into a chapter in which I think a lot of people around baseball were surprised that he was dealt I think Chris Sale was surprised that he got traded by the Red Sox as well but as it turned out this has been a mutually beneficial arrangement for both s and the Braves Lopez meanwhile a little bit of a different story and he took a circuitous route to to put it lightly to his first All-Star game he broke in as a starter then he struggled then he moved to the bull pin where he excelled but he bet on himself to move back into rotation signing with Atlanta securing that opportunity to become a starting pitcher again he owns a 171 erra this year that is not a typo it is the All-Star break and he is sitting on the best ER in baseball though he is just outside the Innings threshold to lead MLB in that category he jumps onto and off that leaderboard basically every time he starts but he’s right there you can trust me on that and regardless he has been more than anyone could have reasonably expected as a starter and now he gets his first All-Star honors this is just one of those cool stories that a baseball season brings to you and Ronaldo Lopez certainly worthy yeah I mean as you mentioned just a great story of a guy that believed in himself and thought that you know he had progressed enough to uh be be successful in the rotation I think you got to credit the Braves for giving him a chance too you know I kind of thought it was a crazy move I think we talked about that here you know because I I just liked I like that 100 mph stuff coming out of the bullpen but you know the minute Spencer Strider went down him Lopez as a starter became that much more important I mean it’s kind of scary to think about this rotation if if Strider wasn’t hurt and and Lopez might be your fifth guy or Charlie Morton’s your fifth guy I mean that’s that’s kind of crazy to think about but I mean I don’t think enough can be said I think the Braves have done a great job limiting his Innings because that’s the only thing you have to worry you know you have to worry about with him it appears is just that him wearing down uh after you know operating as a reliever uh for the last few seasons I think he you know I think 66 Innings last year and he’s already well above that so that’s something you got to monitor because you want this guy you want this guy rested and fresh uh when you get to the postseason yeah pushing 990 innings in the first half just under so it will be interesting to see how the Braves manage that even in this upcoming Padres series as well where he is not listed as a probable starter just yet the Braves have lined up some of the rest of that and we’ll get to it in a moment but we might as well go ahead and talk about the Padres this is the final stop for the Braves in the first half and on this two city road trip another Wild Card Contender post seon hopeful but a recent skid dropped San Diego out of a wild card spot for the moment the Braves have of course the top wild card spot Denis the St Louis Cardinal and the surging New York Mets are the three Wild Card teams in the National League heading into Thursday’s action the Padres though one of many clubs that could be looking for help with the trade deadline obviously but that’s a list Chris that I looked at that includes six teams within four games of the final wild card spot so buyers and sellers we don’t know what to expect just yet as far as far as those teams some big decisions still to be made as for the series it seems like an opportunity for both of these clubs to close out what has been a challenging first half in different ways for both clubs while looking to give themselves all the momentum they need for a push at the postseason yeah and I mean I just talked about how I feel like the Braves really need to kind of build some momentum you know if you can get a series win in Arizona and then turn around get another one in in San Diego I think that’s pretty good you know the Braves I don’t have it in front of me but I you know it feels like the Braves haven’t historically played really well in San Diego so you know I think that’s a that’s a test for them going in but as you mentioned about you know the wide open nature of of the National League playoff picture I mean it could really muddy up the uh trade deadline it’ll be interesting to see how many of these teams that might be in contention don’t believe they have a good chance I think about what Cleveland did last year they weren’t they weren’t mathematically that far out of the race but went ahead and sold and it’s paid off for them this season so some interesting um decisions to be made these games in the leadup to the uh you know to the trade deadline are going to be fascinating to watch because they’re big just because it might Define which direction a franchise goes in yeah and what is the threshold for these teams I mean in the message that they send their fan base if you’re within three games of a wild card can you really afford to punt and to let it go I don’t know about that’s it’s going to be difficult for some decision makers there but that goes with the territory as for this series the Braves are going to throw Spencer schwellenbach in game one he’s has been announced they have not gone with a game two starter yet previously said Chris S would go on Sunday in San Diego and the Padres have lined up Randy Vasquez and the opener Matt Waldren Dylan ceased to follow in this three-game set Padres took three out of four at truis Park a series in which Atlanta was outscored 18-10 in the midst of what was the biggest and probably worst struggles we’ve seen at the plate for the Braves in quite some time Atlanta would no doubt like to issue a bit of a receipt as they roll into Petco Park on Friday yeah without a doubt I mean you want to see them play better uh because you know when they played them the first time it it was kind of ugly so you know just see them bounce back I it will be interesting to see how they handle the uh rotation uh with the with the open spot you know I wondered if they might do a consider a bullpen game if they get there that way um but you know of course what Brian Snicker’s favorite uh saying is we’ll see how we get there you know and make up that make that decision so I’m sure they’ve got a couple of things that they’re probably considering but uh you know think if you can stay away from Lopez that’s great and maybe he gets to pitch an in and in the All-Star game that would be that would be really cool because I think with ses starting Sunday he won’t be eligible so yeah we’ll just have to see how that turns out yeah and I agree it would be cool to see Ronaldo Lopez just get that opportunity to pitch in an All-Star game because who knows if he’ll ever get back to another one and he knows a thing or two about coming in to throw just one inning maybe that’s something he could do in that setting either way the Braves are going to wrap up the first half here this weekend and we will have have a lot more to be talking about as we move forward of course now part of the All-Star festivities is the major league baseball draft don’t ask me why but it’s all been centralized a one time of the year to make basically journalists and reporters in the sport lose their Collective Minds in trying to cover everything at wants it’s over stimulation to say the very least but we’ll have you covered right here on battery power and of course over battery power.com that does however bring us to the end of this edition of bptv make sure you hit that subscribe button right here on the YouTube channel turn on those notifications you’ll get an alert every time we drop a new episode we thank you as always for riding along with us he’s Chris Willis I’m Grant McCauley we will catch you next time and until then so long race country
1 Comment
Braves could be in trouble if teams start walking Ozuna because the rest of lineup is inconsistent .