These Braves often make you shake your head. They leave you wondering how the heck they did what they did.
Their jaw-dropping home run party fueled a 6-2 victory over the Twins Tuesday night at Truist Park. And just like that, after their winning streak ended last week, the Braves have won four in a row.
Five observations:
1. This had never happened to Twins starter Joe Ryan, who must have been rather stunned as he witnessed ball after ball fly over the wall.
“They probably took the best swings I’ve ever seen,” he said of the Braves after the game.
The Braves had a jaw-dropping start.
The Braves homered five times in their first 10 plate appearances. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit two of them.
The Braves homered on five of Ryan’s first 45 pitches, including three of his first 20 pitches.
“I don’t think anyone has ever hit my fastball like that,” said Ryan, who felt he’d executed most of his pitches.
Three of the five homers came on four-seam fastballs. Ryan said his only regret was a hanging slider to Michael Harris II.
Minnesota scored in the top of the first inning. The Braves responded by putting up six runs in the first two frames.
Acuña, Austin Riley and Sean Murphy homered in the first. Then Harris and Acuña blasted homers in the second.
“It’s incredible to see what we’ve been doing,” Acuña said through interpreter Franco García. “I think my main thing is I just ask God to keep this team healthy so we keep executing and sort of having the results that we’ve been seeing lately.”
Before Tuesday, Ryan had allowed more than two home runs in only one of his 47 career starts – versus the Padres last season. This season, he had served up eight home runs over 93 2/3 innings across 15 starts before arriving at Truist Park.
Then the Braves launched five home runs over the first two innings.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
2. At the end of this month, we’ll be able to properly contextualize the Braves’ offensive dominance, complete with every statistical category they lit up during June.
For now, because of the theme of this game, let’s focus on home runs.
The Braves have hit 54 home runs in June.
Only three Braves teams have hit more in a month: the 2019 Braves (56 in June), the 2022 Braves (55 in September and October) and the 2003 Braves (55 in May).
The 2023 Braves have two more games in June – Wednesday versus the Twins, then Friday against Miami – to rewrite the record books.
“The lineup for us,” Bryce Elder said, “I’m glad I don’t have to face them.”
3. Recently, Elder was talking to someone and …
“We didn’t even know we’d won eight in a row,” Elder said.
The point: The Braves, Elder said, just get on these runs.
Well, with Tuesday’s victory, the Braves have won all eight series in June.
“Before you even said that, I didn’t know we had won eight series in a row, either,” Elder said.
Perhaps that’s one reason this team is so successful. The Braves aren’t focused on the meaningless external things. They don’t worry on anything but that day’s game.
“They just come to play every day. Ever-y day,” manager Brian Snitker said. “And prepare, and stay even. They don’t get caught up in all that stuff or whatever. It’s about the next at-bat, the next game, next pitch, inning, whatever.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
4. Elder wasn’t his best, but he pitched well enough. He allowed two runs over six innings.
What this means: Elder still ranks second in baseball – and leads the National League – with his 2.44 ERA.
5. In the top of the fifth inning, Ozzie Albies and Orlando Arcia connected for one of the finest plays you’ll ever see.
With two outs, Albies shot to his right and dove to stop a ground ball headed into center field. But he didn’t have time to gather and make a throw from his knees.
Luckily, Arcia was in the area. Albies flipped the ball to Arcia, who caught the ball, spun and fired to first base for the third out.
This is what Elder thought in the moment:
“Well, when Ozzie dove, I was like, ‘Ah, he’s gonna be safe.’ And then before he flipped it to him, I saw Orlando running and I was like, ‘Oh, he’s gonna flip him.’ And he did. And I don’t know. Those guys are pretty really, really good. Just to be able to kind of sit back and watch the whole view of that play was pretty cool.”
Of the play, Snitker said: “That’s just baseball instinct on both of those guys, is what that is. Just baseball awareness. And that’ll be fun to watch for the rest of the year. That’ll be on all the highlights.”
Stat to know
29 and 10 - Of Acuña’s 29 career leadoff home runs, 10 have come on the first pitch.
Quotable
“It’s something else. I can’t explain it. That first-inning thing is crazy. … I think it’s just where these guys are offensively. I know we’re hitting homers, but they’re just such good at-bats.” - Snitker on the Braves’ first-inning success
Up next
Left-hander Kolby Allard will start for the Braves on Wednesday, opposite Kenta Maeda. The series finale begins at 12:20 p.m.
