The Atlanta Braves are on a heater.
The club has jumped out to a 15-6 record in the second half, and entering Saturday, are one of two teams in the majors with 70 wins. The offense has been potent, but their pitching has bounced back from their mid-season swoon. The staff hasn’t allowed more than three runs dating back to July 30, and Tyler Mahle sparkled in his Braves’ debut against the Yankees.
This club looks dangerous. And it could give the Dodgers a run for their money come October.
1. Braves
Atlanta heated up last week, and currently looks like the best team in baseball.
The Braves rode an eight-game win streak into the Bronx Friday, and despite losing in extras due to a blown save by Raisel Iglesias, it was just the sixth loss of the second half for the club.
Matt Olson is playing like an MVP, and currently leads baseball with 33 homers and 29 doubles. All the talk has been about Pete Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani battling for the MVP, but Olson more than deserves to be in the conversation.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is also heating up. The right fielder is slugging .567 with three homers in his last seven games. If the Braves can get the Acuña Jr. of old, then this club is a serious World Series contender.
2. Brewers
The Crew might have whiffed on Tarik Skubal, but that talk has distracted most from one simple fact: This club is and has been the best team in baseball.
Their 72-44 record is the best in the majors. Their +139 run differential is tied with the Dodgers. And Jackson Chourio has been released from his funk, and has homered three times in the last four games.
Milwaukee again is built upon their strong defense and pitching. But this club also has some serious thumpers in Chourio, William Contreras and Christian Yelich. Time will tell if it’s enough this season.
(Also, how do you only add Dustin May, Bo Naylor, and Antonio Senzatela at the deadline?)
3. Red Sox
Boston could easily be number one on this list. Heck, they’ve been the best team in baseball over the last two months.
The club has lost three games since July 3. They’ve built a nine-game winning streak after winning 15 in a row earlier in the season. They’re 32-5 since June 25.
Nothing is slowing this club down. And there’s reason to believe they’re going to get exponentially better. Craig Breslow finally pushed his chips in, acquiring Adley Rutschman at the deadline. Plus Garrett Crochet will eventually be added back to the rotation. Buckle up Boston, and enjoy the ride. Seasons like this are magical.
4. Dodgers
The Dodgers at four? This might shock some who don’t follow the standings.
Los Angeles is currently playing its worst baseball of the season, and enters Saturday on a seven-game losing streak. Friday might have been the worst loss during the stretch, with Edwin Díaz blowing a save in Arizona via a walk-off homer from Ryan Waldschmidt.
The pitching has been the culprit during this stretch, allowing 46 runs across seven games. That’s good for a 6.57 ERA. Still, the club has a seven-and-a-half-game lead over the second-place D-backs, and had one of the most electric deadlines by adding Skubal.
5. Cubs
List the Cubs as another team decimating their schedule in the second half.
Remember when this team was floundering after their hot start? Looked stuck in the mud? Well, they enter Saturday with a 68-49 record, trail the Brewers by only four and a half games, and are 11-4 since July 24.
The pitching was holding this club back, and yes mostly due to injury, but the Cubs front office attacked their weakness at the deadline. They added Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes before the deadline, giving the rotation two arms in October that can be trusted. David Peterson has also been better, pitching to a 4.03 ERA in seven starts on the North Side.
This club shouldn’t be taken lightly. And it’s not ludicrous to say they’re the Dodgers’ number one threat in the postseason.
6. Rays
Give Tampa Bay credit. They actually added a bat at the deadline.
The Rays made a call across the state, and acquired catcher Liam Hicks from the Marlins. It wasn’t the bat most thought would be on the move, but give the Rays credit for being creative.
Tampa also acquired Freddy Peralta from the Mets, hoping to utilize their Rays’ magic to fix the former ace as they head into October. If they can figure out Peralta’s bugga-boos, then this rotation could mow down any competition in the American League. That looks like a tall task, however, as Peralta allowed seven earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in his Rays debut.
7. Yankees
The Yankees have been hovering around .500 in the second half. Not terrible, but concerning when the Red Sox are in the rearview mirror.
They’re 11-9 in the second half. And are still waiting on the return of their Sultan of Swat, Aaron Judge. In the meantime, Brian Cashman added some big bats to their lineup. The Yankees went out and acquired Luis García Jr. from the Nationals and Heliot Ramos from the Giants. Oh, and they didn’t give up a serious prospect.
It was an underately great deadline from Cashman. Plus the promotion of George Lombard Jr. has also paid early dividends.
8. Phillies
Philadelphia is starting to come back down to earth.
They’re 8-12 in the second half, and with Atlanta surging, the club has fallen eight and a half games out of first place. The struggles can be attributed to many factors, but Kyle Schwarber has seriously cooled off. He’s slashing .176/.323/.235 in his last 15 games, and hasn’t homered since July 18.
It’s time for another player in this lineup to pick up the slack. And it’s also a testament to how crucial Schwarber’s bat was to this team’s turnaround. They did go out and get Luis Arraez at the deadline, plus lefty Brooks Raley. But who knows if it’ll be enough.
9. White Sox
The White Sox have hit a little bit of a skid. But can you blame them? They had to face Boston.
The Sox are currently riding a four-game losing streak, which has opened a window for the Twins and Guardians to reenter the race for the Central. Friday wasn’t great either, as the club lost 8-2 to Cleveland to drop their division lead to only two games.
Still, the team added some nice pieces at the deadline and are marching toward a seat in October. Luis Castillo in the rotation could play, plus Huascar Brazobán in the bullpen gives Will Venable another reliable option.
10. Diamondbacks
The Snakes didn’t have an exciting deadline, which is shocking due to their position in the standings.
The D-backs currently sit at 62-55, have an ace in Eduardo Rodriguez (2.71 ERA), and a formidable lineup if guys like Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll heat up.
All they added was Lars Nootbaar from the Cardinals. They could have really used a starting pitcher. Apparently they had a deal in place for Mets’ righty Holmes, but the deal fell through due to one of their prospects’ medicals.
This club isn’t a lock to make the playoffs. They’re tied with the Phillies in the Wild Card standings, but hold a slim two-game lead over the Padres with two months left to play.
Rest of the Field
11. Astros
12. Pirates
13. Guardians
14. Rangers
15. Padres
16. Cardinals
17. Nationals
18. Reds
19. Twins
20. Tigers
21. Mariners
22. Marlins
23. Orioles
24. Mets
25. Blue Jays
26. Royals
27. Giants
28. Angels
29. Rockies
30. Athletics
