May 10, 2019, is the new July 20, 2018.
The Braves were 10 games over .500 at last year’s All-Star break. The offense, however, wasn’t where it needed to be, leading to frightening thoughts of the regression often viewed as inevitable.
Manager Brian Snitker tweaked his lineup, putting Ronald Acuna at the top of the order to begin the season’s second half. The Braves went on to win 90 games and the National League East crown.
Snitker didn’t wait until July this time. With the bats sputtering, he bumped Acuna from cleanup back to leadoff. Dansby Swanson became the No. 2 hitter. Josh Donaldson dropped from No. 2 to No. 4 in the order. Ozzie Albies has moved around the bottom of the lineup.
“I was excited that day,” Snitker recalled. “I was excited to see what would happen, how guys would look, how’d it feel. I liked the look, and I liked the feel that day.”
Once again, the Braves were rejuvenated. Since May 10, when Snitker made the change in Phoenix, the Braves are 22-9, the third-best record in the majors over that span. They went from 18-20 before the lineup change to 40-29 and carrying a 1-1/2 game lead over the Phillies entering their weekend series.
A lineup that was once “stagnant,” according to its manager, is now among the league’s most potent.
“Where we were in Arizona, we were doing the same thing every day and hoping for a different result,” Snitker said. “I didn’t like the feel overall. It wasn’t anything to do with any individual. It was just our club and where we were. We wanted to mix and match and do something different.”
The Braves have won seven in a row, sweeping the Marlins and Pirates. They’ve averaged nearly seven runs a game over that span. Albies, who leads NL second basemen in All-Star voting, has hit .333 this month. Acuna has hit .315 over his past 16 games, garnering at least one hit in 14 of them.
Even during his few slumps, the Braves are energized by Acuna. The 21-year-old publicly stated he preferred leadoff to cleanup before the season, and since returning to that role, seems to be a better player.
“I saw a different guy, a different look,” Snitker said. “I saw added confidence. He may be born to be that guy. That might just be his DNA. I still see him as a 3-4-5 type guy, and that’s OK.”
Today’s offense is what the Braves envisioned. They boast plenty of power – they homered 11 times in four games against Pittsburgh – but can win without the long ball, as they did the past two nights. They’re winning with collective effort. Most of their hitters have found their zone simultaneously.
Since May 17, Swanson has hit .295 with seven homers. He has 12 multi-hit games over that 25-contest stretch. Freddie Freeman has been his typical self, hitting .321 with 11 homers and 23 RBIs in his past 26 games. Nick Markakis is fresh off a 7-for-16 showing with two homers in the four-game Pirates set.
“We feed well off each other,” Markakis said. “Guys are having great at-bats, getting on, timely hitting. They’re clicking right now, and hopefully we can keep it going. (Our lineup is) deep, top to bottom. Even our pitchers. There’s no easy out in our lineup.”
Austin Riley has 29 RBIs in 27 career games and reached double-digit homers in fewer games than any Braves player ever. The catching duo of Tyler Flowers and Brian McCann has been fruitful. Donaldson, the team’s big-ticket free-agent acquisition, has been the only player yet to find his groove.
“It’s hard to get through our lineup,” Freeman said. “We’ve been putting it together the last few weeks. It’s definitely (deeper than any lineup) I’ve been part of. When Ronald steps in the box in the first, it’s go-time. That pitch needs to be on his game immediately. Dansby’s been putting up huge at-bats all year, coming through three, four and five, and you’ve got Austin (Riley) in the six-hole now.
“I don’t know what (other teams) can do. And Ozzie’s been swinging the bat great. Obviously (Flowers) and (McCann) have been awesome. It’s fun watching opposing managers try to get through the lineup and they haven’t been succeeding the last couple weeks.”
