The Atlanta Braves are 52-36 on the season which has them in first place in the N.L. East, 4 games ahead of the Mets and 4.5 games ahead of the Phillies. The Braves’ success hasn’t been without problems. Here’s a closer look at the surprises and disappointments of the first half of the 2010 season:

Pleasant Surprises: The Braves finally gave 26-year old righty swinging Martin Prado the starting job at 2B. He made the All-Star team and started last night in the place of Chase Utley. Prado has played in 87 games for the Braves this season and he is 121 of 372 (.325 avg, .851 OPS) with 61 runs scored, 10 homers, 39 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Troy Glaus missed most of last season so the Braves took a chance on him and he has rewarded them for it. Glaus has played in 85 games for the Braves this season and he is 75 of 295 (.254 avg, .802 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 14 homers and 58 RBIs. 28-year old righty swinging infielder Omar Infante made the All-Star Team despite being a backup player. Infante has played in 63 games for the Braves this year and he is 64 of 193 (.332 avg, .762 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 2 homers, 24 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Rookie 25-year old lefty reliever Jonny Venters has burst onto the scene for the Braves this year. He has pitched in 36 games (0 starts) for the Braves this year and he is 3-0 with 1 save, a 1.30 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP.

Disappointments: 27-year old righty swinging shortstop Yunel Escobar is having by far the worst season of his major league career in 2010. Escobar has played in 75 games for the Braves so far this year and he is 62 of 261 (.238 avg, .618 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 0 homers, 19 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. 25-year old switch hitting OF Melky Cabrera has had trouble adjusting to N.L. pitching so far this season. He has played in 85 games for the Braves this year and he is 70 of 270 (.259 avg, .664 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 3 homers, 24 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. 28-year old lefty swinging Nate McLouth has been a huge bust for the Braves this year. He has played in 57 games for the Braves this year and he is 30 of 170 (.176 avg, .577 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 3 homers, 14 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. 35-year old righty starting pitcher Kenshin Kawakami is also having a hard time for the Braves this year. He has started 15 games for the Braves this year and he is 1-9 with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.

The Braves have three games against the Phillies at home this week before traveling to New York over the weekend for a three game set with the Mets. The Braves are 7-5 on the season which has them in 3rd place in the A.L. East, 1 game behind the Phillies. The Braves have outscored opponents 60-54 this so far this season. The Braves aren’t pitching or hitting as good as they can yet so look out when things start to click for them.

The Braves are stuck at 3-3 on the year which has them tied for 3rd place in the N.L. East with the Nationals, 2 games behind the Phillies. The Braves have outscored their opponents 33-22 this season. The offense needs to be more consistent if the Braves are going to take advantage of the outstanding pitching staff they have in place. The Braves travel to San Diego for a three game set with the Padres to start the week and they will play the Rockies this weekend in Atlanta. The Braves need to take care of business this week, plain and simple.

The Braves are off to a 2-2 start despite outscoring their opponents 23-14. The pitching is keeping up their end of the bargain as the Braves have a 2.50 ERA as a team. The bullpen has been as good as advertised as they are a combined 1-1 with 1 save, a 1.10 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP. The Braves need the offense to be more consistent as they have been very hit and miss despite averaging 5.75 runs per game this year.

Veteran starting pitchers Tim Hudson and John Smoltz have both been outstanding all season long for the Braves. Smoltz continues to defy Father Time as he keeps throwing bullets up to the plate. He has started 30 games this season for the Braves and he is 14-7 with a 2.97 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He has worked 193.2 innings this season and he has allowed 187 hits, walked 44 batters and whiffed 181. Tim Hudson is pitching like the pitcher the Braves thought they were getting from the A’s three seasons ago. He has started 32 games this season for the Braves and he is 16-8 with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He has thrown 210.2 innings this season and he has allowed 205 hits, walked 50 batters and whiffed 122. Too bad the Braves didn’t have anyone step up in the rotation to support Hudson and Smoltz in the rotation or the Braves would be in better position to make a run at the playoffs. They are currently 78-73 which has them in 3rd place in the National League East, 5.5 games behind the Mets. The Braves are also currently 5.5 games behind the Padres in the Wild Card Race. It will be hard for the Braves to make the playoffs now….but it’s not impossible.