The first half of the 2024 MLB season has come and gone, now we approach the dog days of summer and the stretch run. Thanks to an incredibly hot start to the season, the Braves are nine games over .500, but because of a lack of offense, they find themselves still 8.5 games back of the division lead. Now it is time for the offense to step up. The Braves pitching staff entered three players in to the All-Star Game, but going in to the second half of the season, they may need more rest as we approach the end of the season and the playoff race. In order to do that, the Braves may have to lean on younger pitchers, such as Spencer Schwellenbach, A.J. Smith-Shawver, and maybe even a returning Ian Anderson. Are any of these guys All-Star caliber? Not yet, but they can at least hold their own, but will need offensive run support. Marcell Ozuna had a great first half, and Austin Riley was among the hottest hitters in Baseball thru June, but Matt Olson hit a paltry .229, with thirteen home runs, and only forty-four RBIs. Remember when Matt Olson hit fifty-four home runs to break the Braves' single-season record? That was LAST YEAR. While Sean Murphy battled an oblique for a lot of the season, hitting only .211 in any stretch of the season is simply unacceptable. These guys are better than this. With the trade deadline looming, many are calling for the Braves to make a swap for another outfielder to add some offense, but that should not be necessary. While Reynaldo Lopez is pitching great, we have zero sample size of him as a starting pitcher for an entire season. Charlie Morton had a finger issue that kept him out of the 2023 playoffs, and Max Fried was battling sickness. Things happen. If anything, the Braves should spend a little capital on a starting pitcher at the trade deadline, because you can never have enough pitching in the playoffs. As far as the offense goes, for a successful second half of the season, the lineup as currently constructed simply needs to do their job. Andy Bunker and Randy McMichael discuss the Braves upcoming second half of the season. 

<p>The first half of the 2024 MLB season has come and gone, now we approach the dog days of summer and the stretch run. Thanks to an incredibly hot start to the season, the Braves are nine games over .500, but because of a lack of offense, they find themselves still 8.5 games back of the division lead. Now it is time for the offense to step up. The Braves pitching staff entered three players in to the All-Star Game, but going in to the second half of the season, they may need more rest as we approach the end of the season and the playoff race. In order to do that, the Braves may have to lean on younger pitchers, such as Spencer Schwellenbach, A.J. Smith-Shawver, and maybe even a returning Ian Anderson. Are any of these guys All-Star caliber? Not yet, but they can at least hold their own, but will need offensive run support. Marcell Ozuna had a great first half, and Austin Riley was among the hottest hitters in Baseball thru June, but Matt Olson hit a paltry .229, with thirteen home runs, and only forty-four RBIs. Remember when Matt Olson hit fifty-four home runs to break the Braves' single-season record? That was LAST YEAR. While Sean Murphy battled an oblique for a lot of the season, hitting only .211 in any stretch of the season is simply unacceptable. These guys are better than this. With the trade deadline looming, many are calling for the Braves to make a swap for another outfielder to add some offense, but that should not be necessary. While Reynaldo Lopez is pitching great, we have zero sample size of him as a starting pitcher for an entire season. Charlie Morton had a finger issue that kept him out of the 2023 playoffs, and Max Fried was battling sickness. Things happen. If anything, the Braves should spend a little capital on a starting pitcher at the trade deadline, because you can never have enough pitching in the playoffs. As far as the offense goes, for a successful second half of the season, the lineup as currently constructed simply needs to do their job. Andy Bunker and Randy McMichael discuss the Braves upcoming second half of the season. </p>

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