Wild Card standings entering the second half of the season

The Atlanta Braves are fresh off one of their worst first halves in the last 50 years, winning just 42 games compared to 53 losses and sitting 9.5 games back of a playoff spot. This isn’t the worst team in franchise history, but it certainly has a case for the most disappointing, given the high expectations coming into the season.

NL Wild Card Standings

1. Milwaukee Brewers — +4.0 GB

2. New York Mets — +2.5 GB

3. San Diego Padres — 0.0 GB

4. San Francisco Giants — 0.5 GB

5. St. Louis Cardinals — 1.5 GB

6. Cincinatti Reds — 2.5 GB

7. Arizona Diamondbacks — 5.5 GB

8. Miami Marlins — 7.5 GB

9. Atlanta Braves — 9.5 GB

Yes, the Braves are a full two games back of the Miami Marlins for 8th place in the NL. Atlanta has a better record than just three teams in the league, all of whom were expected to finish fourth or worse in their respective divisions.

Barring a miracle, the Braves season is cooked, and that could become a lot more clear in the next few weeks after the trade deadline. If Atlanta has any chance of turning this around, they’ll have to come out in the second half on fire, which could perhaps convince Alex Anthopoulos to change his mind about selling off spare parts.

The only way that’s going to happen is if the offense flips a switch. The guys in the lineup are more than capable. They’ve proven so in the past, but to this point, they’ve been the weak link. Not only do they have to change that, but they now have to be the unit that carries the team. With so many injuries to the starting staff, there’s little hope the Braves can go streaking without an offense that’s performing like one of the best in the league.