The All-Star break is quickly approaching. Perhaps that might cool off the Braves, because opponents have tried just about everything else.
The Braves have been remarkably unstoppable since the start of June.
Atlanta swept the Marlins with Sunday’s 6-3 victory at Truist Park. That’s eight wins in a row – again.
Five observations:
1. The Diamondbacks couldn’t stop them. The Mets couldn’t stop them. The Phillies couldn’t stop them. The Reds couldn’t stop them. The Marlins couldn’t stop them.
The Braves keep winning.
“We’ve hung in there really well,” manager Brian Snitker said. “We went into a lot of series with a lot of really good teams that were playing really well, and ended up winning the series. That’s kind of the goal every time we go in. (The players) don’t get caught up in all (of the external factors). They’re about today’s game, and preparing and playing it. I never, ever get the impression that they remember what went on the last two weeks. They’re just there for a day and do what they can to win that game.”
Since June 2, the Braves have lost three games.
Three.
They have won 23 of their last 26 games. They have won nine straight series. They are 10-1 against their division in that span, with the only loss coming against Washington. In the NL East, they lead second-place Miami by nine games.
“That’s huge,” Strider said of this run. “It’s still early, early in the season. But they’re all big games. We kind of show up every day and try to just kind of be as level-headed as we can. We kind of think of the first half as practice for the second half in a way. We like where we are. We’re doing a good job of treating each day as its own sort of task, and we’d like to carry the momentum into the (future).”
2. The Marlins took a two-run lead with a pair of second-inning runs off Spencer Strider.
No one blinked.
“It’s unbelievable what our offense is capable of doing,” Strider said, referencing how the lineup punched Miami’s Eury Perez in the mouth on Saturday. “Today, we fall behind and I know if I can just keep us in the game long enough, we’re gonna come through. And we did. It’s just a testament to the guys in here, just to how easy it is to pitch with them behind me. I don’t have to be perfect. I just have to go out there and get as many outs as I can and limit damage. They’re gonna come alive at some point and they always have, so far.”
Sure enough, they did again: In the bottom of the second inning, Orlando Arcia homered. In a three-run fifth inning, the Braves scored the tying run before Ozzie Albies gave them the lead with a two-run homer off reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara.
So, yeah, two runs is nothing.
“It’s almost like, you know what, you get down, that’s OK, we got a lot of time left,” Snitker said.
3. Strider on Sunday allowed three runs – only two earned – over 6-2/3 innings.
Since the two poor starts in June, he has surrendered only four runs over 19-2/3 innings across three starts.
“I think there’s a lot of things,” Strider said when asked about the difference now. “Having the right mental approach and sort of narrowing things down to what’s most effective for me. Just being confident, not letting the last pitch affect the next one. Sort of shifting my focus to length over anything else, really, and just trying to get as deep into the game as I can and get as many as I can.”
4. You probably think of the Mets and Phillies as the Braves’ toughest competition in the division.
Well, the Marlins are in a better spot than both of those clubs. Miami has improved.
The Braves, however, have not slept on the Marlins. They are 9-1 against Miami and have beaten the Marlins by a combined score of 83-29.
5. The Braves will send a franchise-record eight players to the All-Star Game. That’s one off the MLB record for selections from a single team.
The All-Stars: Ronald Acuña Jr., Sean Murphy, Orlando Arcia, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Bryce Elder, Strider and Albies.
For the first time in team history, the Braves’ entire infield made the All-Star Game.
Stat to know
56-27 - The Braves’ 56-27 record is the best 83-game start in franchise history. The 1997 and 1998 teams went 54-29 to begin their seasons.
Quotable
“I think it’s a testament to your organization. Just how we’re prepared and what the expectations are here. The run we’ve been on, it’s not surprising to anybody, it’s what’s expected. We don’t get too high, we don’t get too low. And consequently, we’ve got a lot of guys that are really doing what they’re capable of, and that’s a very high ceiling. It’s awesome to see this many guys going and it’s gonna be fun for us to be together out there, so we’re looking forward to it.” - Strider on the eight All-Star selections
Up next
Elder will start Monday’s series opener in Cleveland, which begins at 7:10 p.m. Right-hander Gavin Williams will start for the Guardians.
