Three Atlanta Braves takeaways on the first half of the season (2024)

SAN DIEGO — Considering the Braves lost reigning National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. to a season-ending knee injury in late May, after losing preseason Cy Young favorite Spencer Strider in early April, perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that the six-time defending NL East champions are 8 1/2 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies.

There was terrific pitching as the Braves’ top three starters — All-Stars Chris Sale, Reynaldo López and Max Fried — and a deep bullpen delivered a majors-leading 3.40 ERA. And if the Braves had gotten anything remotely resembling their overwhelming offense of 2023, the Braves would probably be even with or ahead of the Phillies.

Atlanta got one of its too-few solid offensive performances Sunday when Sale pitched five innings of one-run ball and Travis d’Arnaud homered twice in a 6-3 series-clinching win at San Diego to end a 4-3 trip and close the season’s figurative first half.

“It’s been a funky couple of months, but it’s better that it’s happening now than in September,” said d’Arnaud, who drove in four runs. “We’re going to all be able to rest and relax and kind of forget what’s been going on and come back and play the baseball we all know we can.”

D’Arnaud also picked up his third career stolen base and first since 2020, dashing to second base in the fourth inning when unsuspecting Padres starter Randy Vásquez went to his full windup.

D’Arnaud, a Los Angeles native whose parents, brother and nephew were in attendance, was pleased to have a big game in front of them and to help Sale (13-3) become the first Braves starter to have at least 13 wins before the break since John Smoltz had 14 in his 24-win Cy Young Award season in 1996.

“It means I had a hell of a bullpen coming in after me and some offensive support and great defense,” Sale said. “I appreciate it. I’m lucky to be where I’m at. Still a lot of work to do. We’re just at the halfway point, it’s not anything to hang your hat on quite yet.

“We’ve said it all year now, we’re just waiting for it all to kind of click. We had a great series here this weekend. Hopefully, we come back from the break, take some days off and kind of rejuvenate and hit the ground rolling. I think we’re right there. We’re as close as we’ve been.”

The Phillies, after sweeping the Dodgers, lost two of three to Oakland entering the break but still have baseball’s best record and a commanding lead in the division.

Slumping Matt Olson will sit this one out

After playing in the All-Star Game in two of the past three seasons, slumping first baseman Matt Olson will head home to regroup at this break, as will the rest of the Braves infielders who joined him on the 2023 All-Star team. Catcher Sean Murphy, Acuña, Strider and pitcher Bryce Elder were also All-Stars last season.

None of those eight All-Stars repeated this season. Elder is at Triple A, Murphy missed two months with an oblique strain, and the others have declined statistically, though none as precipitously as Olson.

His career-best season a year ago has only made this one that much more perplexing for Olson, who has 13 homers, 44 RBIs and a .714 OPS. He’s hitting .229 with 109 strikeouts and 36 walks, after hitting .283 with 167 strikeouts and 104 walks last season.

After a dismal start to 2024, Olson warmed up with a .331 average, 10 homers and a .976 OPS in his next 33 games though June 16. But he’s back to the skids, hitting .168 with two homers, five RBIs, 34 strikeouts and a .509 OPS in 26 games before Sunday, when he had a game-tying RBI single in the fourth inning.

“Obviously, you want to be in (the All-Star Game) and have that honor,” he said. “But having a little decompress time is good as well.”

Sometimes it’s probably best to rest

With the exception of Marcell Ozuna, the All-Star DH who was going to Arlington, Texas, along with Atlanta’s All-Star pitchers on a private jet after Sunday’s game, the rest of the Braves were told to take the break off and come back Friday ready for a strong second half. They won’t be gathering for any batting practice before then.

“Going home. (Manager Brian Snitker) wants us all to have frickin’ four days,” said hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, who’s had plenty of sleepless nights the past few months trying to figure out which buttons to push and playing Whac-A-Mole trying to help various players slumping simultaneously. “And these guys need a break, mentally as much as physically.

“So, that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to take a break.”

A year ago, the Braves went to the All-Star break leading the majors by wide margins in homers (169), slugging percentage (.492) and OPS (.830), and ranked second in average (.270), OBP (.338) and runs per game (5.6).

This year, they are tied for 10th in homers (109), tied for 11th in slugging (.405), 14th in OPS (.709), 17th in average (.241), 23rd in OBP (.304) and 18th in runs per game (4.28).

Assessing the leadoff spot

Michael Harris II was struggling like most Braves hitters, but the smooth-fielding center fielder was 6-for-18 with a triple in his last five games before sustaining a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring June 14. He was starting to look comfortable in the leadoff spot he’d been in primarily after Acuña’s May 26 knee injury.

Harris has been sidelined since and still hasn’t been cleared to resume sprinting, so he’s probably at least a few weeks from returning. But one of the few bright spots for the Braves’ lineup has been the work of Jarred Kelenic, who moved from left field to center and from the bottom of the order to the leadoff spot after Harris’ injury.

After hitting .316 with 15 extra-base hits, including seven homers, and a .937 OPS in a 33-game surge through June 29, Kelenic is 8-for-56 (.143) with three extra-base hits in his past 14 games.

“I think he’s done phenomenal,” Harris said Sunday morning. “I guess that leadoff spot is not the easiest spot to hit in. But he’s definitely done really well there. And playing center field, he’s held his own, too. He’s done a great job, in my eyes.”

Harris will return to center field once he’s ready to rejoin the Braves, but what about leadoff? It’s not clear yet what the Braves will do with that role, but if Kelenic were to continue struggling, it might be that Harris also resumes leadoff duties.

“I was just starting to get used to leading off, getting comfortable before that (injury) happened,” Harris said. “Wherever I’m at when I come back, I don’t really care, as long as I’m producing and helping the team.”

(Top photo of Matt Olson: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

David O'Brien is a senior writer covering the Atlanta Braves for The Athletic. He previously covered the Braves for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and covered the Marlins for eight seasons, including the 1997 World Series championship. He is a two-time winner of the NSMA Georgia Sportswriter of the Year award. Follow David on Twitter @DOBrienATL