The Braves entered the final game before the All-Star Game with five players having hit at least 15 homers, something only nine teams had accomplished before this season.
But a first-half season power display hasn’t always been a prescription for success. Of those nine teams, only the 2003 Braves won a division championship and three of those clubs finished with a losing record.
The 2003 Braves had Andruw Jones, Javy Lopez, Garry Sheffield, Chipper Jones and Vinny Castilla with 15-plus homers at the break. That club won 101 games, but lost to the Cubs in the N.L. Division Series and watched the Marlins – a team they beat by 10 games in the East – win the World Series.
The 2018 New York Yankees went 100-62 and finished second to Boston in the A.L. East. The 1977 Red Sox went 97-64 and tied for second behind the Yankees.
The other six showed middling-to-little success: 1986 Minnesota (71-91, sixth A.L. West), 1996 Seattle (85-76, second A.L. West), 1999 Seattle (79-83, third A.L. West), 2000 Anaheim (82-80, third A.L. West), 2005 Texas (79-83, third A.L. West), 2008 Miami (84-77, third N.L. East).
The Chicago Cubs joined the Braves this season with five players in the 15-homer club. The Cubs, like the Braves, are leading their division.
Another rain delay
The start of Sunday’s game was delayed by an unexpected shower that rolled through the area late in the morning. The game started at 1:46 p.m., a 26-minute delay.
It was the 11th rain delay of the season for the Braves. Storms caused a stoppage of 2 hours and 28 minutes on Friday night. The Braves are 7-3 in games delayed by rain.
Setting the post-break rotation
That’s not a mistake. Dallas Keuchel, who pitched the final game before the All-Star break, will get the ball again when regular-season play resumes on Friday in San Diego.
Keuchel will start the three-game series against the Padres, the first game of a six-game road trip that finishes in Milwaukee. The left-hander is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two career starts against San Diego, but hasn’t faced the Padres since 2015.
The other starters against San Diego will be Julio Teheran and Mike Soroka. Teheran is 5-4 with a 3.88 ERA in 11 career starts against the Padres; he lost to the Padres on April 30. Soroka, who been pitching a day ahead of Teheran, was dropped back in anticipation that he would make an appearance in the All-Star Game. Soroka beat the Padres on April 29, allowing one hit over six innings with eight strikeouts.
The starters for the three games in Milwaukee will be Max Fried, Bryse Wilson and Keuchel.
Fried threw six shutout innings against the Brewers and beat them on April 17. Wilson is scheduled to start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday and will be on regular rest when he rejoins the rotation in Milwaukee.
