There are plenty of reasons as to why this season has been a disappointing one for the Atlanta Braves. They’ve been snakebitten by injuries. The pitching staff hasn’t stepped up. And, at least early in the season, there just wasn’t enough pop in their lineup.
And while most of those things are still true today (have you seen the state of their pitching staff?), their offense has finally turned things around, although in a classic case of “too little too late.”
Against all odds, it looks like the Braves’ offense has found itself again
Over the last two weeks, the Braves have slashed .242/.327./.411 as a team, which seems rather pedestrian at first glance. While their .242 batting average is exactly the same as their team batting average this year, their .411 slugging percentage is a great sign considering they still have a dismal .392 slugging percentage for the season. It sat at .388 prior to the team’s recent power surge.
That power surge has been led by a bit of an unlikely catalyst, as Marcell Ozuna has posted a .313/.452/.711 slashline over that time period with five home runs and 10 RBI.
Earlier this year, it seemed like Ozuna wouldn’t be on the team after the trade deadline due to his status as an impending free agent, but he ended up staying with Atlanta and has been mashing ever since. While it remains to be seen if his hot streak will result in the Braves electing to make him an offer in free agency, it’s still a great sign as the Braves look to build some momentum toward next season.
He’s not the only maligned Brave who has stepped up recently either.
Earlier this year, Michael Harris II was struggling so badly that the fan base was forced to ask itself if the former Rookie of the Year winner truly was a building block for the future.
That’s beginning to look like a distant memory now, as he’s turned things around to the tune of a .352 average and .648 slugging over the past two weeks as of August 14. He helped jumpstart the Braves’ nine-run fourth inning on Thursday with a huge grand slam.
“I felt good right before the break in St. Louis,” Harris said, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. ”Then, I knew during the break I just had to continue to work on what I was feeling and trying to better what I was trying to do. So, coming out of the break, I made sure I was still working on what I wanted to work on. Now, it’s giving me results in the game.”
Although this season has been a frustrating one for all of the Braves’ fanbase, the recent uptick in offense is a reminder of how good this team can be — and how much talent they’ll have next season. Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson won’t be going anywhere. Drake Baldwin will be a year older (and maybe with a Rookie of the Year win under his belt). Austin Riley will be healthy again.
This year has been a nightmare due to everyone on the roster being hurt or taking a step back. The past two weeks have served as a wake-up call that the nightmare could be over soon.
