MLB Saturday review: Braves the standout at All-Star Break

bet365 News Team Updated: Jul 10 2023 13:23 Published: Jul 09 2023 14:17

With just one day of games remaining until the All-Star break, MLB is shaping up for the second half of the season.

Let’s take a look across the league and see which teams are poised to rise up the standings in the second half.

Rays, Braves remain front-runners

Throughout the season, two teams have had fairly constant storylines: the Tampa Bay Rays and the Atlanta Braves.

Both teams lead their divisions, with the Rays two games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East and the Braves 9.5 games ahead of the second-placed Miami Marlins in the NL East.

While the Rays started off hot, the Braves have been the better team of the two as of late, and, as a result, the Braves now own a stronger winning percentage (.682 to .620) and the best record in baseball.

The Braves have hit a hot stretch at the right time, winning nine of their last 10 games heading into Sunday.

The offense has come alive over the past two weeks, with Matt Olson leading the charge (19-51, .373/.439/.843, 6 HR, 16 RBI) and Ronald Acuna Jr. following closely behind (19-51, .373/.469/.745, 5 HR, 8 RBI, 8 SB).

Ozzie Albies (.898 OPS, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 2 SB), Marcell Ozuna (.288, 3 HR, 8 RBI) and Austin Riley (.756 OPS, 3 HR, 7 RBI) have also played major roles.

If the Braves’ pitching staff can shake off a few injuries, Atlanta has the ability to cruise in the second half.

The Rays, on the other hand, are trending down.

After a red-hot start to the season, Tampa Bay has won just three of their last 10 games.

While they did play tough competition in that stretch - including Atlanta, Philadelphia and Arizona - the lineup has cooled significantly.

An excellent example of this offensive lull is Randy Arozarena, who hit just .152 with 2 HR over the past two weeks.

On the season, Arozarena still boasts a healthy .276 average with 16 HR, 54 R, 58 RBI and 9 SB.

While Wander Franco (.833 OPS, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 4 SB) has been effective, the Rays will need players like Arozarena, Yandy Diaz, Josh Lowe and Manuel Margot to find their form once again if they want to hold on to a comfortable lead in baseball’s toughest division.

Can Reds continue improbable run?

Nobody is all that shocked to see Atlanta at the top of the NL East standings; however, the other two division leaders in the National League – the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks – are major surprises.

The Reds continue to ride baseball’s biggest hot streak, winning eight of their last 10 games as they sit with a 50-40 record, two games ahead of the second-placed Milwaukee Brewers. The Chicago Cubs are just eight games back in third place.

While the division is still up for grabs, the Reds have been exceptional over the past month or so, and their offense is the primary reason for this success.

Over the past 30 days, nine Reds players boast an OPS above .775, while four hold an OPS above 1.000, including Will Benson (1.143), Joey Votto (1.050), Jake Fraley (1.033) and Stuart Fairchild (1.059).

The rest of the lineup has been just as explosive over the past month, with Elly De La Cruz (.324, 3 HR, 15 SB) and Matt McClain (.835 OPS, 5 HR, 5 SB) leading the charge.

On the other hand, the Reds may begin the struggle down the stretch if they can’t get more out of their pitching staff.

Just two Reds starters boast an ERA below 4.00: Hunter Greene (3.93 ERA over 73.1 IP) and Andrew Abbott (2.38 ERA over 41.2 IP).

While the bullpen has been decent, the Reds might need to go out and acquire some starting pitching at the trade deadline if they hope to compete in September.

Full All-Star Rosters, Injury Replacements, HR Derby Participants Announced

The full MLB All-Star teams have been announced; similarly, each injured participant’s replacement has been selected, and we now know who will be competing in the HR Derby.

American League All-Star Starters

C - Jonah Heim, Texas
1B - Yandy Diaz, Tampa Bay
2B - Marcus Semien, Texas
3B - Josh Jung, Texas
SS - Corey Seager, Texas
OF - Adolis Garcia, Texas* (injury replacement for Mike Trout)
OF - Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay
OF - Austin Hays, Baltimore* (injury replacement for Aaron Judge)
DH - Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles