Braves outfielder Adam Duvall is a strikingly different hitter depending on the game situation.
With the bases empty, he has a meager .162 batting average this season, the worst among National League regulars, and a puny .559 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage).
But with runners on base, he is hitting a robust .303 with a 1.030 OPS.
And with runners in scoring position, he’s hitting even better: a .328 batting average, 12th-best in the NL, with a 1.124 OPS.
Those numbers (through Tuesday), which combine Duvall’s time this season with the Miami Marlins and the Braves, reflect a player who somehow elevates his game in high-stakes situations.
“I don’t know (how to explain it). Man, what a great trait for a guy to have, though,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said Wednesday afternoon. “I know one thing: I love those guys that have that tendency. Because you’re right, he’s a different guy with runners in scoring position. ... Some guys just get locked in and love that situation.”
Consider: Duvall’s batting average and OPS with runners in scoring position are more than double what they are with the bases empty.
Duvall prides himself on driving in runs and said last week, when he trailed only Miami’s Jesus Aguilar for the NL lead in RBIs, that he hoped to top the league in that category. Since then, Duvall has surpassed Aguilar and taken the NL lead with 97 RBIs (68 in 91 games with the Marlins and 29 in 34 games since the Braves reacquired him at the July 30 trade deadline). He’s within close reach of the second 100-RBI season of his career after having 103 with Cincinnati in 2016.
A big reason for Duvall’s high RBI count this season: Twenty-two of his 32 home runs have come with runners on base, giving him the most multi-run homers in the majors. That includes his three-run homer in Tuesday’s win over Washington at Truist Park, his 10th homer since rejoining the Braves.
Tuesday’s homer was Duvall’s 12th this season with two outs. He’s tied for second in the NL in two-out homers, trailing only Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper (14) in that category. The Braves’ Ozzie Albies and San Diego’s Fernando Tatis also have 12 two-out homers.
Across all situations, Duvall is hitting .228 with a .777 OPS.
Braves notes
-- Through Tuesday, the Braves were 13-4 against the Nationals this season – and 60-60 against everyone else.
-- As Snitker announced late Tuesday night, Touki Toussaint was the Braves’ scheduled starting pitcher for the middle game of the series against the Nationals on Wednesday, with Drew Smyly still in the bullpen. “We may need him again as a starter,” Snitker said Wednesday of Smyly. “I don’t know that that won’t happen again.”
-- Albies entered Wednesday with home runs in each of the past four games, one short of the Braves’ franchise record for consecutive games with a homer. Nine players share the Braves record of five straight games with a homer, most recently Ronald Acuna in 2018.
-- Acuna, who underwent season-ending knee surgery in July, was at Truist Park on Tuesday and Wednesday. “I talked to him (Tuesday),” Snitker said. “I was in the weight room with him, and he’s going through his drills and everything. I think he’s glad to be back here in Atlanta. It was good for him, I’m sure, the (post-surgery) program that he went through in Los Angeles. But I’m sure he’s really excited about being back in his house.”
-- Max Fried is hitting .318 (14-for-44) and seeking to become the first Braves pitcher with a .300 or better batting average for a season (minimum of 40 plate appearances) since Warren Spahn in 1958, per research by MLB’s Sarah Langs.
