Cobb Reporter

ATLANTA -- Constructing a 100-win season is one of the most challenging accomplishments in baseball. Winning a World Series is the sport’s most satisfying accomplishment. Having seen 100-win seasons end prematurely both of the past two years, the Braves will spend the rest of this year focused on reintroducing themselves to postseason success.

The Braves are 53-42 and stand 8 1/2 games behind the first-place Phillies in the National League East. The odds of adding to their collection of division titles aren’t promising. But the same could have been said in 1993, when Atlanta trailed San Francisco by nine games in the NL West through the first 95 games. The 2022 team was seven games back with just 50 games to play.

You never know what the season’s second half could bring. Here is a look at what could be in store for the Braves over the next couple months.

Second-half goal: Stay healthy

Without Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr., the Braves still have the potential to win their second World Series within the past four years. But one more significant injury would likely be a crushing blow. With Chris Sale, Max Fried, Reynaldo López, and Charlie Morton, the Braves have a rotation that could give any team problems during the postseason. Instead of chasing a seventh straight NL East crown, this team needs to pace these starters and make every effort to ensure they are physically capable of being effective in the playoffs.

Likely Trade Deadline strategy: Buyer

Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has made numerous valuable Trade Deadline deals since he arrived in Atlanta for the 2018 season. Anthopoulos’ best haul came in 2021 when he acquired Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario, Adam Duvall, and a couple others after Acuña suffered his first season-ending knee injury. Anthopoulos was fortunate with each of the low-risk, high-reward deals he made that year. He’ll be looking to add one outfielder and possibly a starting pitcher before this year’s July 30 Deadline.

With three All-Stars, the rotation is one of the game’s strongest. But Spencer Schwellenbach could start to fatigue, and there will be a need to monitor workloads for Sale and López as they attempt to complete their first full seasons as starters since 2019.

Key player: Matt Olson

Marcell Ozuna has provided MVP-caliber production for more than a calendar year and Austin Riley returned to his elite level over the past month. It’s Matt Olson’s turn to get back to where he was last year when he set franchise records in home runs and RBIs. Olson has 13 home runs and a .714 OPS; at this same 95-game mark last year, he had 32 homers and a .944 OPS. It seemed like he righted himself during June's first two weeks but produced only a .446 OPS over his final 26 games before the break.

Jarred Kelenic is showing comfort in the leadoff spot and Michael Harris II is nearing a return from an injured list stint. This underachieving Braves lineup has potential but overcoming Acuña’s injury rests on Olson proving he can be another high-performance member of this lineup.

Prospect to watch: AJ Smith-Shawver

Schwellenbach has thrown 89⅔ innings between Majors and Minors this year after tallying only 65 innings while serving as a starter for last year's first time since high school. The Braves’ starting pitching depth will be tested over these final two months so it’s encouraging that both Ian Anderson and Smith-Shawver might soon be available.

Anderson is recovering from Tommy John surgery while Smith-Shawver returns from an oblique strain suffered in May.

Smith-Shawver ranks as No.1 prospect for Braves per MLB Pipeline's No.67 overall prospect list making great strides before suffering his injury on May23rd at Wrigley Field start If able eating quality innings down stretch should help continue pacing primary starters crucial postseason success.

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