​The Cardinals will host the Braves this weekend at Busch Stadium as they head toward the All-Star Break. If you haven’t heard, Jordan Walker will participate in the Home Run Derby on Monday night on Netflix and will also be at the All-Star Game as the Cardinals’ lone position-player representative. Riley O’Brien was added to the All-Star roster because several pitchers are scheduled to pitch this weekend and wouldn’t have enough rest for the exhibition game. This might be old news, but with the All-Star Break just around the corner after this series against Atlanta, it’s still a talking point. Personally, I’m planning to watch the Home Run Derby for the first time in years since I now have Netflix, and I’ll probably skip the All-Star Game unless I happen to come across it on streaming.
Over the last 10 games, the Braves are 5-5, with two of those losses and one of those wins attributed to the Cardinals’ performance. Since the Cardinals visited Atlanta, the Braves split a four-game series with the Mets and swept a three-game set in Pittsburgh. Before that Atlanta series, the Braves had been struggling, going 9-14 in June, so it’s unclear whether their 5-5 stretch signals a turnaround or merely a stay-the-course moment. Regardless of recency bias, they remain one of the best teams in baseball and sit in first place in the challenging NL East, where four of five teams have winning records.
What has to be especially frustrating for Braves fans during June is losing series to the Mets, Giants, and Padres, and getting swept in a two-game set by the White Sox, even as they’ve handled the Brewers. Go figure. The Braves possess one of the game’s strongest bullpens and perform well both at home and on the road, including against teams above .500. How can a team that has endured a rough stretch still be so formidable? They piled up 22 wins in March and April, followed by 18 wins in May.
So what makes Atlanta so good? It’s less about the hitting and more about the pitching. While their lineup can hit home runs beyond the midrange—titting splits with several teams—their overall lineup is solid but not spectacular, perhaps most comparable to the Houston Astros. Like the Cardinals, they aren’t fond of taking walks; they draw even fewer walks than St. Louis. If there’s a glaring weakness, it’s their on-base percentage, but the emphasis on power often overshadows that flaw.
Atlanta’s pitching is the engine that drives their success. Their best trait resembles the steady efficiency of the Giants and the Brewers: they don’t let you barrel the ball. As a team, they’re performing exceptionally well, but there’s a caveat. The Braves’ bullpen is exceptionally strong, arguably as valuable as their starting rotation. In fact, their bullpen contributes nearly as much WAR as their starters, illustrating how an elite bullpen can elevate a solid team toward elite status. The Braves’ combination of strong pitching, a resilient bullpen, and timely offense has them perched near the top of the league, even as they navigate ups and downs.