It wasn’t pretty, but the Braves earned a series win over the A’s with a 3-1 victory at Truist Park.
Here are five observations from Sunday:
1. After the A’s tied it at 1 in the top of the seventh, the Braves retook the lead with consecutive doubles from Jarred Kelenic and Sean Murphy, the latter of which was a bloop that just barely found the right-field grass. It was Murphy’s first extra-base hit of the season.
The Braves have been mashing the ball with disappointing results – leading MLB in exit velocity – so perhaps they were due a good break.
“That stuff all evens out over six months,” manager Brian Snitker said. “You go through periods. That’s why you always have to handle the bad, because at the end of that, there’s always really good. We’ve experienced that here for a number of years.”
2. First baseman Matt Olson provided the early offense with an RBI single in the first inning. He’s long removed himself from those early season struggles; Olson was hitting .320 with a .974 OPS over his last 20 games entering Sunday. He has five home runs in his last 21 games after a 26-game homerless drought.
While some Braves, like third baseman Austin Riley and outfielder Michael Harris II, are slowly regaining form, Olson seems to be back to his true self. “Matty is looking really good,” Riley said. The Braves need Olson, Riley and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna to carry the load as run producers, especially with reigning National League MVP Ronald Acuña done for the season.
Riley is 4 for his last 12 (.333) as he continues to find a rhythm since returning from a 13-game absence (side soreness) last week. “I’m getting some at-bats under my belt now,” Riley said. “I’m starting to feel like the timing is getting there. So a couple hard-hit balls today and I feel like we’re getting there.”
3. Charlie Morton rebounded nicely Sunday. After surrendering eight runs against the Nationals in his previous outing, he pitched six scoreless against the A’s, seeing his ERA dip back below 4.00. He did it on a rainy afternoon that somehow avoided any delays. He also did it despite issuing six walks.
After the game, Morton explained why he feels the Braves are in a fine spot despite their recent lackluster results.
“I can sense it in the clubhouse a little bit,” Morton said. “We’re not rolling. The majority of the guys in there have been here the past few years, and they know what that feels like. That’s the problem. You look at our record, and if you just look at us on paper, it’s like, ‘We’re playing OK.’ Right? But I think because we know what it feels like to be ourselves, we know what we’re capable of, that’s where it’s tough. Because we don’t feel that way. We don’t feel like everything is clicking.
“I’ve been on some teams where I could sense we were in trouble. I don’t feel like that in there. I don’t feel like that’s a room that’s going to allow that to happen. The quality of people in there is just too good.”
4. Remember when the Braves were historically great in the first inning last year (a franchise-record 146 runs)? That hasn’t been the case in 2024, but the team did score in the first frame in each game against Oakland. Beforehand, the Braves had gone 10 consecutive games without scoring in the first, their longest such streak since April 30 to May 13, 2022.
5. The Braves finished a 3-4 homestand, underwhelming considering the opponents were the Nationals and A’s. This was pinpointed as a week the Braves could’ve gotten themselves going again. Nonetheless, the team feels positive coming off a series win. There are reasons to believe the offense is trending upwards.
“There are a lot of positives,” Snitker said. “I felt really good coming into today after (Saturday night when they scored nine runs). I look through individually and see a lot of positives with some guys offensively. We haven’t been playing bad baseball. We’ve been playing good baseball. We just haven’t hit. And I see light at the end of the tunnel right there with a bunch of guys, honestly.”
Stat to know
18-7 (The Braves finished 18-7 all-time against the Oakland A’s. The next time these teams play, the A’s will be based in Sacramento, where they’ll play until a stadium in Las Vegas is supposed to open later this decade.)
Roster move
The Braves optioned catcher Chadwick Tromp to Triple-A Gwinnett following the game. It had been carrying three catchers since Murphy returned from the injured list.
Quotable
“I think we have a great team. I don’t know why two months of baseball would make us change our opinion of ourselves, especially when we’re not playing that badly. ... The rhythm, the cadence, so to speak, of the days and games, it kind of feels off. It just feels like we haven’t hit our stride, but you look at that roster, you look at what the guys have done the past few years, there’s no doubt how good the team is.” - Morton
Up next
The Braves are off Monday and open a three-city road trip Tuesday beginning in Boston, where Max Fried (5-2, 2.97) will take the mound.
