Atlanta Braves warn Philadelphia Phillies as second half begins

A bit of rain delayed Friday night, but the Atlanta Braves are back. They’ve rested after a few days off during the All-Star Break and can’t wait to officially begin the second half of the MLB regular season.

“It’s time to get back to work. It’s always good to take a break, but I woke up this morning and was a little itchy to get out here quick,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.

The Braves are in second place in the National League East and hold the top wild-card spot. Despite being eight games behind the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies, the NL East crown is still in their sights.

“Now we come here and take care of business. We expect to win. We’re going to win the division, not the wild card,” Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies said.

Snitker stressed the importance of taking small steps to achieve the goal of winning the division.

“You take it day by day,” Snitker said. “I know it sounds corny a lot, but the only thing we have control over every day is today.”

A big question is the Braves’ offense heading into the official second half. While things started to improve as they approached the All-Star Break, they’ll need to remain consistent if they want to catch the Phillies.

Braves baseman Austin Riley believes the break will mentally reset the team and allow them to build on their recent offensive success.

“I think it will be a huge change mentally,” Riley says said. “The first half is the first half. You can’t change it… lately, before halftime, we started to get some consistent hits and tried to build on that.

Barring another Mother Nature upset, the Braves will resume their second half at home against St. Louis with a day-night doubleheader. The first game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and the second for 7:20 p.m.