Hey there,
This has been one heck of a start for the Braves. But as I watch them and follow everything, there’s something that keeps popping into my mind.
These guys could get even better.
No, seriously. They are 17-6 – the best record in baseball to this point – but will get Ozzie Albies and Sean Murphy back. And before Tuesday, Max Fried wasn’t completely Max Fried just yet.
Plus, it’s not like the Braves have been able to sleepwalk through their schedule. They haven’t played cupcake opponents – though no major-league team should be considered an easy win.
But last week, Gabriel Burns – our terrific sports features reporter – pointed out an astute observation: In the season’s first 20 games, the Braves played all four of last postseason’s final four clubs: The Phillies, Diamondbacks, Astros and Rangers.
They went 10-2 against those opponents. The two losses were by a combined three runs: A one-run defeat in Philadelphia, and a two-run loss to Texas. Both came in the series finales, after Atlanta had already won those series.
This is impressive dominance against some of the sport’s top teams. It should bode well as we look ahead.
The Guardians – managed by former Braves catcher Stephen Vogt – have been a pleasant surprise. Then the Braves embark on a tough road trip: Three games in Seattle and three more in Los Angeles versus the Dodgers.
On paper, that’s a difficult road trip.
But these are the Braves. And they’ve proven themselves proficient against the best competition. Not that we thought they’d be anything different. They’ve been the best team in baseball thus far, even with their injuries.
They’re able to sustain a few injuries and … keep rolling.
“I think it’s gotta do a lot with the makeup of your team and how you put it together, and guys buying in and being team-first guys,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I think we got a whole group of them. I think when you have that, then you’ll get that effect.”
The Braves lost Murphy, but still got off to a great start. Spencer Strider suffered an injury that ended his season, but they’ve continued pushing forward. Albies broke his toe in Houston, and his teammates finished that sweep, then won two of three against the Rangers before Miami came to town.
It’s unbelievable.
“I think that’s huge when they’re team-first guys and they pull for each other,” Snitker said. “They’re each other’s biggest fans, and I think that’s a really good thing to have. And that’s all about the culture, makeup of the clubhouse. It’s about the players and the people that they are. And we have a really good group of them.”
But the Braves are also built to withstand injuries or underperformance. They’re loaded with talented players, which means their lineup and rotation are able to handle much more than some clubs.
The Braves’ floor is very high. They have much more margin for error – or for unfortunate circumstances – than most teams.
Their middle-of-the-order hitters are better than the equivalent on many clubs. The same can be said for, say, Charlie Morton, Reynaldo López and Bryce Elder, who don’t headline the rotation but are terrific pieces in it. And the bullpen? There’s so much depth in the bullpen, too.
All of this is to say: The Braves’ start has been incredibly impressive, but that isn’t surprising.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Extra Innings
-When they woke up Thursday, the Braves led all of baseball with a .283 team batting average and an .823 team OPS. Both marks were considerably ahead of second place in those categories. They were third in runs scored despite playing three fewer games than the first-place Diamondbacks and second-place Dodgers. They were fifth in home runs.
Through 23 games, the Braves are once again shaping up to be baseball’s top offense. That’s not shocking.
That they’ve done it while Matt Olson and Austin Riley have struggled, and while Ronald Acuña Jr. hasn’t fully been himself?
That’s really impressive.
-Speaking of Olson: On Wednesday, he snapped an 0-for-25 drought – the worst skid of his career – with a double.
When asked if he’s seen Olson get closer to getting hot, Snitker provided a vote of confidence for a few of his struggling hitters.
“They’ll all be there. I’m not worried about those guys,” Snitker said. “They’re gonna get a lot more chances. They’ve all been through this before and they’ve come out of it, and they will again. The good thing is we’ve got other guys that are picking up the slack, which is good. And when they all get hitting, we’ll do some damage.”
-One of the guys picking up that slack: Marcell Ozuna.
His nine homers are one off Angels outfielder Mike Trout’s MLB lead. Ozuna’s 29 RBIs lead the sport. And his 1.094 OPS is second only to the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani.
Since May 1 of last season, Ozuna has hit .297 with a .969 OPS and 38 homers. Over that span, the 38 homers are third in baseball – behind 46 from Olson and 41 from Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber.
-Max Fried and Travis d’Arnaud have a great relationship. And after certain times working together, one of them – or both of them – will often mention having the “right conversations” with the other during a game.
It seems to come up between both of them.
What does it mean?
“I think it’s just more talking about the game,” Fried said. “I don’t want to get too in depth about, obviously, details. But just talking about the game, being very honest on what’s working, what’s not working, and just kind of hearing each other out.”
Fried has worked with d’Arnaud more than any other catcher in his career. He’s thrown to d’Arnaud in 57 games – more than the 26 with Tyler Flowers or the 16 with Brian McCann.
Fried’s 2.67 ERA when throwing to d’Arnaud is his best mark with any catcher he’s worked with in more than five games. (So, not counting the catchers he’s thrown to, say, once or twice.)
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