What I’m Most Excited For Coming Into the Second Half of the 2023 Season:

The Atlanta Braves had a fantastic first half of the season! They lead all of Major League Baseball with 60 wins and only 29 losses. They are in first place in the NL East by 8.5 games and have a very impressive lineup.

It has been a couple of days since the 2023 All-Star game, which the National League won 3-2. Tonight, July 14th, the Braves will kick off the second half of the 2023 season at home against the Chicago White Sox.

Coming out of the All-Star Break, here are some things I am looking forward to seeing with this Braves team:

~The Return of Max Fried

It has been awhile since Max Fried has pitched for the Braves since he strained his left forearm back in May. He made his first rehab start on July 9th – throwing 1 and 1/3 innings, allowing only one hit and two walks. This is definitely a big step in the right direction for Fried, and we hope to see his rehab starts continue and him back and the Major League level within the next month.

~The Return of Kyle Wright

Kyle Wright has been out since early May with a right shoulder strain. He has been cleared to throw again, but the Braves are going to play it safe with him since, not only is he such a great pitcher, but he is also very young. No one wants to do anything to jeopardize his playing career.

~The Atlanta Braves’ Offense

Let’s face it, the Braves have one of – if not the most– exciting lineups in all of baseball! Every single day they give everything they’ve got and continue to out perform their competition. Not to mention they hit a TON of home runs, which brings extra excitement to every game. This is something I’m excited to see continue throughout the remainder of the season.

If I could only use one word to describe this Atlanta Braves team it would be this: RELENTLESS. To me it sums up our Atlanta team perfectly because no matter how many injuries they have, how many losses they get in a row, or how much doubt is thrown their way… they do not give up. If anything, the hardships and negativity they face gives them the determination they need to play harder and ultimately win it all. We’ve seen this first hand in the first half of the 2023 season.

I think it’s safe to say the Postseason isn’t an “IF” for the Braves, but a “WHEN.” It will be exciting to watch them play the rest of the season and get to the Postseason. In the end I believe they have a chance to bring another World Series trophy home!

GO BRAVES!!

Braves vs. Mets Series Wrap

Well, this wasn’t much of a series. With games one a three both postponed due to weather conditions, it turned into a one game series. The New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves will have two makeup games in different doubleheaders. One will be on June 21st and the other on July 26th.

Game Two: Ian Anderson vs. Taijuan Walker, Braves lost 13-2

For only one game to be played in this series, this is definitely not how anyone in Braves country wanted to go.

Ian Anderson did not have his best stuff. His balls-to-strikes ratio was good, the Mets were just able to hit his pitches. He didn’t always hit his spots, which left his pitches out over the plate. Anderson pitched only four complete innings. He started the fifth inning, but could not retire a batter. He allowed seven hits and four runs. He did have six strikeouts and only one walk, which proves that his pitch ratio was good. In the end, the Mets offense just took advantage of him.

The Braves offense was very quiet. Unlike the Mets against Ian Anderson, the Braves could not hit off of Walker let alone much against their bullpen. The Braves scored one run in the top of the sixth inning on a wild pitch which scored Guillermo Heredia. The other was scored in the top of the eighth inning on an RBI single by my man Ozzie Albies! Those two runs were the only runs scored by the Atlanta Braves in this game.

Ian Anderson may have had a frustrating start, but the final blow was ultimately surrendered by the Braves bullpen. Atlanta’s bullpen gave up a combined total of six hits, two walks, and five runs. Three of those hits were home runs. Honestly, the Braves bullpen is hit or miss. Some nights they come out and pitch very well like we’re used too. Other nights they do not have good stuff at all, and give up too many runs. They need to find balance and to be able to come out of the bullpen, in a close game, and not allow any traffic on the bases, runs, or high stress pitches. If they can do that, they will have much more success out of the bullpen!