Braves Finally Scoring Runs, Wins Still Not Translating

The offense has shown improvement since the All-Star Break, yet the wins aren't necessarily following at the same rate

Runs are coming for the Braves. Wins are not | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Better late than never for the Atlanta Braves bats. Runners are starting to find their way around third and heading home.

Since the All-Star Break, they have the second-most runs scored in the National League with 127 runs, trailing only the surging Milwaukee Brewers’ 163 runs. Before the Break, they were 12th in the National League.

The team’s OPS has improved from .703 before the Break to .739 after the Break. That's an improvement from 10th to tied for seventh.

Over this time, the Braves have scored four or more runs 15 times and gone 10-5 in these games. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. More runs usually help the cause. However, their actual record in 25 games since the All-Star Break is 10-15. 

More runs. More games under .500. Something still isn’t right. 

Not every part of this post-Break stretch has been created equal. Of those 10 wins, five have come in the last seven games. That mediocre 10-15 record was an abysmal 5-13 following being swept by the Brewers. That record when they scored four or more runs was only 5-4 compared to 5-1 since.  

The reality is that a lot of the same issues plague them. 

Since the All-Star Break, they are 1-4 in one-run ball games, two of which saw the opponent score three runs or fewer. One of those one-run losses came on a walk-off. The bullpen still struggles at times, too. 

There are six games that could have been won had the offense had a slightly better night or if the bullpen had had a cleaner night. Realistically, this team could have been 16-9 since the All-Star Break. 

The playoff picture would still be dire, but there would be some hope for next season. Perhaps it’s fitting for the 2025 Braves to be in that position. There are plenty of other points during the season that you can look to and find similar losses. 

It’s how you end up with a 14-28 record (.333) overall in one-run ball games, have 26 blown leads and nine walk-off losses. 

As something goes right, something else goes wrong. As Michael Harris II and Marcell Ozuna return to form, Grant Holmes is done for the season and Spencer Strider begins another rough patch. 

The Braves have a leading Rookie of the Year candidate, but at one point, they had two before AJ Smith-Shawver needed Tommy John surgery.

So, take having the second-most runs in the National League post-Break as you will. Going from 24th in runs scored to second is not nothing. It could maybe even provide hope for next season. Feel free to use the last seven games as a sign that things are starting to click.

That being said, seeing stats like those and still not seeing the wins come might only add to the frustration.