Sleep well on the road?

A couple of weeks ago, I listened to one of my favorite podcast shows. In the show, the host mentioned a team’s struggle on a road trip. While listening to the show, I was just thinking about which teams have been playing well in away games.

After listening to the show, I went to check on the MLB website to see which teams have done a great job in away games.

On-base Plus Slugging (Away Games, ~2023.07.25)
Team	OPS
Braves	.803
Angels	.785
Dodgers	.776
Rays	.766
Rangers	.751
Diamondbacks	.749
Astros	.749
Blue Jays	.749

Firstly, let’s look at the offense. The Braves now lead the majors with a record of 64 wins and 35 losses. In away games, they already took 30+ wins. It’s certain that they must do something right in away games. And, looking at their performance in aways games, they have an OPS over .800. There’s only one team that owns an OPS over .800 in away games. Furthermore, they already smashed 92 home runs on the road trips, which ranks 1st among 30 MLB teams.

At the same time, the Angels have hit well in away games as well. Their OPS is over .780 in away games. Additionally, they have an on-base percentage of .341 in away games, which is the best among 30 MLB teams.

Moreover, the Dodgers already smashed 80+ home runs in away games and on the road trips, their OPS is over .770. Meanwhile, the Rays have an OPS of .766 in away games.

Earned Run Average (Away Games, ~2023.07.25)
Team	ERA
Braves	3.54
Twins	3.58
Astros	3.79
Brewers	3.89
Rays	3.92
Rangers	3.95
Mariners	3.97

After seeing the hitting performance, let’s take a look at pitching performance. The Braves pitching staff have done a great job with an ERA of 3.54 in away games.

In the meantime, it’s worth watching the Minnesota Twins. The Twins are now leading the AL Central. Their winning percentage is below .500 in away games. However, their pitching staff have done a pretty job on the road trips. The Twins currently post a 3.58 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in away games. A 1.15 WHIP is the lowest among 30 MLB teams in away games.

Moreover, the Astros own an ERA below 3.80 in away games. Also, the Brewers are now the division leader in the NL Central, they own a 3.89 ERA in away games.

Earned Run Average (Away Games, ~2023.07.25)
Team	ERA
Athletics	6.71
Royals	5.25
Nationals	5.15
Dodgers	5.04
Diamondbacks	4.91
Rockies	4.90
White Sox	4.84
Mets	4.81

Finally, let’s look at some teams that have some troubles on the road trips. The Oakland Athletics have an ERA over 6 in away games. In the meantime, the Royals, the Dodgers and the Nationals each own an ERA over 5 in away games. Well, among these 4 teams, there’s a team, which is currently a division leader. The Dodgers have an ERA of 5.04 in away games. Last season, the Dodgers pitching staff had done a tremendous job in away games with an ERA of only 2.54. Nonetheless, this season, things have dramatically changed.

By far this season, there’s no doubt that the Braves have done a great job in away games. Their batters hit well and their pitchers are solid on the mound. At the same time, it’s interesting to see that the Dodgers pitching staff actually have encountered some problems in away games. With 2 more months left in the regular season, it will be worth watching whether the Braves will continue dominating in away games. Additionally, can the Dodgers pitchers improve their performance while not being at the Dodger stadium?