Atlanta

Braves

There are enough glaring concerns with Waldrep’s command that he may ultimately wind up as a reliever, but he possesses a deadly double-plus splitter, which has a chance to carry him to the big leagues. It’s not hyperbolic to suggest it might be the most potent pitch in the entire draft class. There’s enough upside here for the 21-year-old right-hander to be worth the risk for the Braves, who have shown a propensity to push young pitchers quickly to the big leagues. He’s the type of pitching prospect that is really intriguing for fantasy managers since he could take a massive leap forward, if he’s somehow able to tame his omnipresent command issues and stick as a starting pitcher. The stuff is there, but Waldrep is one of the riskiest collegiate pitchers in this year’s draft. There’s a decent shot he’s pitching in relief for Atlanta very soon.

Elder walked four and struck out none in far and away his worst performance of the first half. While Elder never figured to be a big strikeout guy, it might be notable that he’s totaled up just one in his last two starts. He had 79 in his previous 96 2/3 innings this season. The All-Star finishes the first half 7-2 with a 2.97 ERA.

Arcia played like an All-Star in his first 52 games this season, but his OPS has dropped from .889 on June 20 to .769 now. There’s a good chance he’ll fall short of being helpful in mixed leagues in the second half.

Fried threw 35 pitches (18 strikes) and walked two batters in a minor league rehab start on Sunday. It was his first start since landing on the injured list with a forearm strain in early May. He will likely need another rehab start or two before he returns to the Braves rotation in late July or early August.

It appears to be a day of rest for the 28-year-old catching sensation. Murphy has been on fire recently and has hit three balls over the fence this month. Travis d’Arnaud will catch Bryce Elder in the Braves’ final game before the All-Star break.

The 29-year-old southpaw told reporters after the game that he wasn’t concerned about the injury and that he won’t require any additional testing, and that his removal from Saturday’s game was purely precautionary. He should be considered day-to-day, but it’s unlikely that we see him take the hill prior to the All-Star break.

Murphy tagged Rays’ right-hander Taj Bradley for his 406-foot (101.8 mph EV) three-run shot in the fourth inning that extended the Braves’ lead to 4-0. He also walked twice and struck out in the ballgame, finishing the night 1-for-2 and sticking to the three true outcomes. He has had a phenomenal first half for the Braves — slashing .306/.400/.599 with 17 homers and 55 RBI.

The 25-year-old superstar started a four-run uprising in the fourth inning with a leadoff double and scored the game’s first run on an RBI single by Matt Olson. He also capped off the scoring in the contest with an RBI single off of Jake Diekman that plated Michael Harris II in the ninth. We’re running out of superlatives to describe Acuña Jr.'s unbelievable season, as he’s slashing a ridiculous .335/.412/.589 to go with 21 homers, 79 runs scored, 55 RBI and 41 stolen bases.

The 28-year-old shortstop smacked a one-out single in the ninth inning then came around to score on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Michael Harris II. Arcia is having an outstanding season for the Braves — slashing .299/.350/.432 with seven homers, 28 RBI and one stolen base in 67 games, though he has been mostly empty batting average from a fantasy perspective.

The right-hander scattered just four hits and one walk on the evening. The biggest threat against him came in the opening inning, as Yandy Díaz singled and then Luke Raley smacked a one-out double to put two men in scoring position. Strider dug in and went on to strike out each of the next eight hitters in order — all on swinging third strikes — before plunking Wander Franco. In total, he generated a whopping 25 swinging strikes on 104 pitches in the ballgame — 12 on his fastball, 11 on his slider and two on his changeup — while posting an other-worldly CSW of 45 percent. The 24-year-old finishes a terrific first half with an 11-2 record, 3.44 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a 166/34 K/BB ratio over 104 2/3 innings in 18 starts.