Atlanta Braves
· 2026-06-30
The Atlanta Braves are looking to put a disappointing June behind them, with a 9-13 record for the month and a dwindling lead in the National League East.
The Braves have seen their lead in the National League East shrink to three games over the Philadelphia Phillies, after being 10.5 games ahead on May 22.
The team has been in an offensive funk, with Austin Riley struggling at the plate, going 4-for-21 on the six-game West Coast road trip.
The Braves' struggles have been compounded by the loss of No. 2 starter Spencer Strider, with veteran pitcher Martin Perez stepping up to stabilize the staff.
Perez has been a dependable arm, going 4-2 since rejoining the rotation in mid-May, including a four-game winning streak that ended on Wednesday against San Diego.
The Braves will face the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-game series, with the series opener featuring a pair of left-handers, as St. Louis' Matthew Liberatore faces Atlanta's Martin Perez.
The Cardinals have also been struggling, scoring only three runs in their three-game weekend series against Miami, and will be looking to rekindle their offense.
The Braves are currently 49-33, standing 3rd in the National League, on a L2 streak, after losing 3-2 to the San Francisco Giants on June 28.
And the team will be looking to bounce back from this loss, with rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt coming off back-to-back multi-hit games.
But the Braves' offense has been shut out twice and scored three or fewer runs 10 times during their current 4-12 skid.
So the team will be looking to turn things around, with manager Walt Weiss saying "Our sport is different than every other sport, we play virtually every day for seven months, so you've got to get past all that stuff."
The Braves have been led by Austin Riley, who has been struggling at the plate, but has seen some positive signs from rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt.
The team will be looking to build on these positives, as they face the Cardinals in the upcoming series.