MILWAUKEE (AP) – Blame it on lingering effects of the pandemic, resentment over the lockout or fears over the economy. Major League Baseball teams head into the final 2 1/2 months of the regular season struggling to fill the stands now that they no longer have to worry about pandemic-related attendance restrictions. MLB reached the All-Star break with an average attendance of 26,409. That represents a drop of 5.4% from the All-Star break of 2019. That’s the last season that wasn’t impacted by the pandemic.