The Braves hit five homers in their three-game weekend series at Toronto to raise their total to 13 in 12 games, third-most in the National League before Tuesday behind the Dodgers (17) and Nationals (14). Unlike those teams, the Braves weren’t expected to hit a lot of homers this season.
Freddie Freeman led the Braves with four homers before Tuesday, all in his past eight games.
“Freddie can hit 30 (homers) that’s probably it,” Braves veteran Kelly Johnson said of the team’s power hitters. “We have some guys capable of hitting 20, and after that it’s really more about, if you get enough playing time to hit 20. But we have some guys who can hit it out. A.J. (Pierzynki) has had some huge power numbers (in his career), and Jonny (Gomes) and me have some pop. Christian (Bethancourt) has got pop; I don’t know if he’s ever had big numbers, but it’s there.
“But I anticipate it being, by the end of the year, maybe best-case us being in the middle of the pack in terms of team homers. But I think we’re finally at that point where that really doesn’t matter. Those are kind of a bonus. Teams don’t have to hit for big power to win, obviously.”
In a small-sample-size oddity, the Braves had a 4-0 record before Tuesday in games in which they’ve gone homerless, and 4-4 in games in which they hit at least one homer.
More importantly, in the view of many: The Braves were third in the NL with a .305 average with runners in scoring position, after ranking 13th with a .236 average in 2014.
