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Atlanta Braves: Three storylines to watch in the second half

By Daniel Rasmussen

ATLANTA, GA JULY 14: Braves outfielders Ronald Acuna, Jr. (left), Ender Inciarte (center), and Nick Markakis (right) take a knee during a break in the action during the game between Atlanta and Arizona on July 14th, 2018 at SunTrust Park in Atlanta, GA. The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Atlanta Braves by a score of 3 0. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA JULY 14: Braves outfielders Ronald Acuna, Jr. (left), Ender Inciarte (center), and Nick Markakis (right) take a knee during a break in the action during the game between Atlanta and Arizona on July 14th, 2018 at SunTrust Park in Atlanta, GA. The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Atlanta Braves by a score of 3 0. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2. The Play of Ender Inciarte

On the whole, the Braves’ lineup this season has been strong.

All-Stars and MVP candidates Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis have been models of consistency, while fellow All-Star Ozzie Albies has been very good more often than not.

Rookie Ronald Acuna, Jr. can expect to see the usual ebbs and flows that come with being a newcomer to the big leagues, but his ceiling remains extremely high.

One of the lineup regulars, however, that has fallen far short of meeting his usual standard at the plate is Ender Inciarte.

While remaining above-average with the glove in centerfield, Inciarte’s bat went cold for the large part of the first half, with a meager BA/OBP/SLG triple-slash line of .241/.312/.337. That line is nowhere near the numbers Inciarte put up in his 2017 All-Star season that saw him hit .304 and get on base 35% of the time.

With Inciarte’s struggles, the Braves have had to some shuffling in the lineup and, to this point, have yet to find a stable leadoff candidate.

Looking up and down the lineup regulars, there doesn’t seem to be that ideal fit for the top spot this year, as the best on-base hitters (Freeman, Markakis) seem firmly entrenched in the middle-of-the-order spots.

True, the Braves are 4th in the National League in runs scored and were first in that category for a better part of the first half, so maybe they don’t need a game-changing move like the Dodgers just made. Perhaps they can manage just fine without a prototypical leadoff man.

But facing a difficult September schedule or a dominant starting pitcher in a playoff series, they would most certainly benefit from Inciarte reverting back to his career norms and deepening the lineup. Inciarte’s speed and base-stealing capability is a great weapon, but as the old baseball adage goes: you can’t steal first base.

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