After their recent power surge, the Braves lead the major leagues in home runs and are on an early pace to break the franchise record for homers in a season.
The Braves entered play Tuesday with six of the 33 National League players who have hit seven or more homers this season. That included Ronald Acuna with a NL-leading 15, Freddie Freeman with 12, Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley with nine apiece, Dansby Swanson with eight and Marcell Ozuna with seven.
As a team, the Braves’ 78 home runs were easily the most among the 30 MLB teams. The Oakland Athletics had the second-most at 69.
This is the type of power hitting the Braves have become accustomed to in recent seasons. They were second in the NL in homers in the shortened 2020 season with 103 in 60 games and fourth in the 2019 season with 249 in 162 games. Through this season’s first 47 games, they’re on pace to hit 269 homers, which would break the franchise record set two years ago.
Even so, manager Brian Snitker said Tuesday, hours before the opener of a two-game series at Boston’s Fenway Park, that he doesn’t think his team is “hitting on all cylinders” yet.
“But gradually we’re playing better as a team overall, our total game,” Snitker said. “... Part of the whole equation here is the consistency offensively. I don’t feel like we’re where we’re capable of being either, because we still have some guys that, once they get going, this thing could be really, really good.”
The Braves padded their power numbers by hitting 15 home runs in a four-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the last-place team in the NL Central, at Truist Park on Thursday through Sunday -- the most homers in a single series in franchise history. The Braves’ previous record was 14 homers in a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in 1956.
Riley, Albies and Swanson combined for 10 homers in the series against the Pirates -- four by Riley and three apiece by Albies and Swanson. The trio went 22-for-47 (.468) in the series.
“It’s still three young, very talented players that are figuring things out,” Snitker said. “I don’t know if you ever figure this game out, but as they gain experience, they’re too good, too talented, to not be more consistent. And they’re starting to get that consistency.
“The hard work that they’re doing, they can see the fruits of it right now. They just have to keep going. It’s a new series. They’ll continue to prepare, and we’ll see what happens.”
The recent scoring spree -- 33 runs in the past three games before Tuesday -- pushed the Braves to fifth among MLB teams and second among NL teams in runs scored with 233 through 47 games. The Red Sox were tied with Tampa Bay for the most runs with 249. The Dodgers led the NL with 243.
The Braves ranked 14th in MLB in team batting average (.236), 12th in on-base percentage (.316) and second behind Boston in slugging percentage (.442).
Braves notes:
- Playing in an American League park, Pablo Sandoval was in the Braves’ lineup Tuesday as the designated hitter, batting seventh. “It’s like four pinch-hit at-bats, which will be good for him,” Snitker said.
- Over their past 19 games before Tuesday — essentially four times through the rotation, dating to May 4 — the Braves’ starting pitchers compiled a 2.35 ERA, the lowest in MLB across those three weeks. In the 19 games, the Braves got 15 quality starts, defined as pitching at least six innings while allowing three earned runs or fewer.
- Braves left-hander Drew Smyly (2-2, 5.11 ERA) is scheduled to start Wednesday night’s game at Boston. Smyly has three consecutive quality starts, posting a 2.00 ERA across those games after pitching to an 8.05 ERA in his first four starts of the season. Right-hander Nick Pivetta (5-0, 3.59) will start the series finale for the Red Sox.
