Atlanta Braves: Recap of the first half of the 2018 season
By Brian Cox
The Atlanta Braves seemingly came out of nowhere to find success in the first half of the season.
The first-world struggles of being a baseball fan can be perfectly summed up by taking a look at the 2017 and 2018 seasons of the Atlanta Braves.
With a 6-month schedule, a struggling and oftentimes bad team (2017 Braves) can make a season feel like an absolute lifetime.
A fun, exciting, and winning ballclub (2018 Braves), however, can turn a long season into what feels like a fleeting moment in time.
With the snap of two fingers (I’m looking at you, Thanos), the team that most predicted would finish the season with a .500 record at best, finds itself heading into the unofficial second half of the 2018 slate with a record of 53-42 after Friday night’s win in Washington.
With only 67 games left, and with the non-waivers trade deadline rapidly approaching, this team has been an incredible joy to watch so far in 2018. Between the injection of youth in the lineup, the improved production in the starting lineup, and the surprising contributions of key veterans, the Braves find themselves in the thick of its first pennant race since 2014. That year, they finished the year 21-35 to finish 17 games back.
While the inclusion of four members of the Atlanta Braves on the National League All-Star roster provides a cursory glimpse into the improved state of the team’s roster, the success of 2018 can really be broken down into three distinct segments of the schedule…