The Braves had a golden opportunity in front of their home fans to end their recent skid, win a series, and build some positive momentum heading into the All-Star break.

Jordan Walker put Atlanta in an early hole with a three-run homer before Hurston Waldrep could even record an out in the first inning. It looked like another nightmare for a Braves starting pitcher — this time from one of the guys the club was banking on to help turn things around.

The offense, however, would respond in a big way, sending 10 batters to the plate in the bottom half of the inning on their way to five runs, a very encouraging sign from a group that has been dead last offensively since June began. Unfortunately, that first inning wasn’t exactly indicative of what was to come.

The Braves failed to muster another run the rest of the game. They didn’t even really threaten much, recording just three hits over the final eight frames.

Waldrep, on the other hand, really settled in and put together a more than respectable first start of his season, finishing 5.1 innings with just the three runs and five strikeouts. He would leave the game with the Braves on top, but this time, it was Atlanta’s ultra-reliable relief corps that faltered in a horrific seventh inning that saw the Cardinals score seven times, essentially putting the game to bed over the span of 30 minutes.

It leaves the Braves with another bad taste in their mouth as they continue to leak oil in the summer months and lose their grasp on their lead in the NL East. However, if we are looking for any positives from this series, there are at least a couple of glimmers of hope for the rotation.

Reynaldo Lopez got the start on Saturday and turned in the best start we’ve seen from him since 2024, going five innings on 69 pitches with six strikeouts and allowing just one run. His fastball was sitting consistently in the mid-90s and even touched 97 at times. That’s the version that made him an All-Star a couple of years ago with a sub-2.00 ERA, and it’s certainly better than what the Braves have been getting out of the likes of Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes, and JR Ritchie.

Waldrep’s performance was also a breath of fresh air following a rocky start. It would have been very easy for things to get away from him, but going 5.1 innings in an efficient manner while flashing numerous plus-offerings should only be looked at as a positive. Like always, it’s always about control with Waldrep, and the fact that he only walked one batter last night is a very encouraging sign.

The current Braves roster is littered with flaws. The offense desperately needs to add another bat or two, and the same could be said about the rotation. Hell, even their stellar bullpen could use some touching up at the trade deadline. However, while the Braves are expected to be aggressive over the next month in their search for help, a lot of the improvement must happen internally.

Starting pitching is incredibly expensive to acquire mid-season. That’s why the Braves haven’t traded for one since they swung a deal for Kevin Gausman back in 2018. Expecting them to acquire one impact arm this time around is reasonable, but multiple is probably wishful thinking. Guys like Lopez and Waldrep need to step up, and these performances suggest that they could potentially play a significant factor in the second half of the season.

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(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)