The month changed, but the Braves’ offense did not. They slugged their way to a 7-0 win over the Marlins at Truist Park that positions them to potentially sweep Miami on Sunday.
Here are five takeaways from Saturday:
1. The Braves began July the same way they ended June: tormenting a Marlins pitcher. After hammering a franchise-record 61 homers in June, they opened July with back-to-back blasts from outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and second baseman Ozzie Albies.
It grew only worse for 20-year-old Marlins starter Eury Perez. The Braves tagged him for six runs on seven hits as the rookie – who’s been sensational lately – couldn’t complete the first frame. He recorded a single out, seeing his ERA leap from 1.34 to 2.47 in a span of minutes.
“(The offense) is doing it against really good pitchers that are having really good years,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It just speaks to the at-bats. The individual at-bats and how focused they are on them. These guys won’t throw one away, and they grind at-bats every time. I think all the runs and the damage we’re doing is a byproduct of that.”
Braves starter Charlie Morton, drafted 10 months before Perez was born, then pitched 5-2/3 scoreless innings as the Braves preserved their early advantage.
2. Consider how brilliant Perez, perhaps MLB’s premier pitching prospect, had been entering Saturday. He had a 21-inning scoreless streak. He held opponents scoreless in five of his previous six starts, including the past three. He had a 0.32 ERA in five June outings. His 1.34 ERA over his first nine starts was the second lowest for a pitcher his age or younger since 1913 (Jack Bentley, 1.27 ERA from 1913-14).
“That kid has a great arm, holy cow,” Snitker said. “It was just one of those days, I guess, for him.”
The Braves obliterated Perez, treating him like just another forgettable pitcher defeated during this offensive onslaught of recent weeks. Perez had allowed four homers over 47 innings before giving up half that total through two at-bats Saturday.
“I don’t think (this offense) knows how good they are,” Morton said. “Which is awesome because I think there are a lot of people trying to put it in perspective. They’re trying to quantify exactly what’s going on. But I don’t think the guys in the room know what’s going on. I just think they’re like, ‘We’re pros. We’re good dudes. We care about each other, and we go out and play.’ That’s what I’m seeing.
“They’re all pulling for each other. They’re all supportive of each other. They’re extremely positive and relaxed. They’re really humble for how good they are.”
3. Acuna’s and Albies’ homers marked the ninth time the Braves have gone back-to-back this season. It was their fourth time doing so since June 17. Acuna’s 40-40 pursuit now stands at 21 homers and 37 stolen bases. He remains the betting favorite for National League MVP as the season crossed the halfway point.
4. Not that the Braves thought they needed to put the Marlins in their place, or anything of that sort, but Miami’s hopes of making the NL East a competitive race have taken a blow this weekend. The Braves are eight games ahead of the second-place Marlins, continuing to build upon MLB’s biggest division lead.
The Marlins are 1-8 against the Braves (but 47-27 against everybody else).
“I don’t think it’s just against Miami, I just think we put in this type of effort and energy into every opponent,” Acuna said via team interpreter Franco Garcia. “We look into every opponent individually. We don’t have anything particular against anyone. It’s just a result of how we attack every game, every team and every series.”
That’s certainly the way it’s been lately. The Braves haven’t lost a series since May 29-31 in Oakland. They’re 15-1 over their past 16 games. They’ve won nine consecutive home games.
5. The Braves’ first-inning offensive stats are historically dominant. They’ve scored 87 such runs, most in the majors, which puts them on pace for the all-time record. Entering Saturday, no other team had more than 66 first-inning runs. The Braves also have hit 29 homers and collected 121 hits in the frame, the best in MLB. They own a plus-62 run differential in the inning.
“It’s incredible, absolutely incredible,” Acuna said. “I think we’ve done it two games in a row against them, but it’s just unbelievable to start a game like that.”
Stat to know
11 (The Marlins had allowed 21 runs in the first inning across 82 games entering this series. They’ve surrendered 11 such runs in two games against the Braves.)
Quotable
“I’ve never seen anything like it.” – Snitker on Braves’ first-inning success
Up next
The Braves will try to complete the sweep – and perfect homestand – on Sunday afternoon. Spencer Strider (9-2, 3.73 ERA) will oppose reigning Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara (3-6, 4.82).
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