The Atlanta Braves are starting to find their groove.
Now at 25-47, the Braves have won seven of their past eight games, all of them have coming after trailing at some point.
“They have down a great job of picking each other up and getting the job done,” interim manager Brian Snitker said Friday. “Overall to a man, they have done a really good job.”
This season, the Braves have 14 comeback victories. However, the team’s recent success has come down to simple decision-making.
“We just want to have a quality at-bats and do what the situation dictates along with our starting pitching and bullpen,” catcher Tyler Flowers said.
Thursday night was a prime example of this approach.
The Braves beat the New York Mets 4-3 after third baseman Adonis Garcia hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning. Garcia sent a fastball over the left field fence for the Braves 16th win under Snitker.
Since he took over, the team has also beaten some of the game’s best pitchers. This list includes victories over New York’s Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Miami’s Jose Fernandez.
As a result, several players have gotten hot of late. This includes a pair of veterans in first baseman Freddie Freeman and shortstop Erick Aybar.
Freeman earned the National League Player of the Week honors for the week of June 19. He hit .435 and had nine extra-base hits during that span.
Aybar has come back strong in his return to the lineup. He has hit .364 since being activated from the disabled list with an ankle injury.
Snitker believes both players have helped the lineup improve. He also points out to the bullpen as another reason why the team has been rolling.
“I’ve had a lot of confidence with everybody that I have brought in especially our left-handers,” he said. “All of them have the capability to start an inning regardless of the matchup. I have been really happy with everyone that has come in, and if it wasn’t for those guys, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to come back late in games.”
The bullpen have held opponents to a .161 batting average in the seven-game stretch. Also, the group hasn’t allowed a run since June 16.
Outfielder Jeff Francoeur believes the new success has added confidence to the team.
“It’s huge,” he said Friday. “Just from a standpoint to get some breathing room. To feel like we can win. Especially for some of these young pitchers, hopefully they learn if they go out and pitch a certain way they will get rewarded for it.”
The Braves are in the midst of a 10-game homestand. They hope to continue to stay hot and feed off the energy of their pitchers.
“We can continue to have a nice little run here,” Flowers said. “Right now we just have to continue to swing the bats like we are and not necessarily look at the number of runs we are putting up.”
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