This weekend marked the start of the second half of the MLB season. Last week was the All-Star Break, then one game was played on Thursday before the entire league got back in gear on Friday. The Braves ended up winning the second half opener 15-1 to set the tone for a resurgance.
Friday was a laugher. Chris Sale was his usual self and dominated. Unfortunately for the Braves, his seven-inning performance was the first such outing in which they had a starting pitcher go more than 6.2 innings in almost two whole months. Maybe the All-Star Break will serve as a much needed reset for Atlanta.
Before Friday night’s game was over, the Braves had the opportunity to make a handful of fun memories and put the rest of Major League Baseball on notice. A relief pitcher for the Braves, Victor Mederos, actually notched two RBI, more than the Rangers had all night. To be fair, the game was firmly in-hand and the Rangers had elected to save their arms and allow position players to take the mound.
After a 15-1 victory on Friday, the Braves were ready to prove they were truly back. They jumped out to a 4-1 lead early in Game Two, but ultimately the bullpen let them down. The Atlanta bullpen has been incredibly efficient all season, but everybody has a slip up every now and again. The Braves lost a close 7-6 contest and evened up their record for the second half.
If the Braves truly are back to their winning ways, they would need a series win to start the back end of the summer. Atlanta has not won a road series since May. Sunday came around and they got right to work changing that.
The Braves won 8-5 and used plenty of reliable arms from the bullpen to secure it. A critical road series win to kick off the home stretch might be enough to propel this team to a division title. The Braves still hold a three-game advantage over Philadelphia in the NL East thanks to their blistering start to the year, but hanging onto that lead hinges on how well they can rebound from a six-week long skid.
Most notably out of all the Braves’ performances is defending NL Rookie of the Year and 2026 All Star, Drake Baldwin. Baldwin went 10-14 on the weekend and amassed a whopping twelve RBI. Baldwin, age 25, also became the youngest catcher in professional baseball history to record five hits and two homeruns in the same game.
The Braves will be back in action on Monday at home against the Padres. If they really are back in the driver’s seat, they should be able to avenge the three-game sweep they suffered to the Padres in San Diego back in June.
