Ronald Acuna’s leadoff elixir can’t quite be explained by his coaches and teammates, so we’ll let the numbers speak for themselves.
Since May 10, the now famed Friday evening that Braves manager Brian Snitker redecorated his lineup, the Braves rank among the better offenses in baseball. In his alterations, Snitker shifted Acuna back atop the order, bumped Dansby Swanson into the 2-spot and put Josh Donaldson into the more advantageous clean-up spot.
The Braves are 9-3 since the lineup change. They won series over Arizona, St. Louis and Milwaukee in that time, with the chance to win another set in San Francisco on Thursday. In 77 games with Acuna at leadoff since last season, the Braves are 45-32.
“Ronnie at the top of the order has really sparked us,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “Big move by Snit putting the lineup like that.”
In those 12 games, the Braves lead the National League with 64 runs scored and 20 homers. Their .801 OPS is second. Consider how potent their first four have been:
-Acuna has three homers in his past four games entering Thursday. He’s tortured the Giants through three games, going 5-for-12 with two homers in the series. He’s a career .328/.411/.630 hitter at leadoff.
-Swanson is 4-for-9 in the series, including a three-run homer Wednesday night. Since snapping an 0-for-17 skid with a home run six days ago, he’s hit .368 (7-for-19). His profile, especially with the power outbreak, makes him ideal in the second spot.
-Freeman had another quiet three-hit game Wednesday. He’s on a season-high eight-game hitting streak, batting .424 with a 1.395 OPS in that time. He has a hit in 12 of his past 13 games, earning a .423 average with nine extra-base hits. His .414 on-base percentage ranks seventh-best in the bigs.
-Donaldson was off Wednesday, but he’s starting to round into form. The former MVP is hitting .325 (13-for-40) since ending an 0-for-14 slump May 7. He’s produced when it matters, hitting .316 with runners on base and .400 with runners in scoring position. He had only 18 at-bats with runners in scoring position before Snitker’s change. He’s had seven since. Donaldson also ranks fourth in the league with 31 walks.
Austin Riley also factors into the equation. He’s played in only eight games, but has already hit four homers. He’s only the third Braves player of the modern era to achieve such a feat, joining Evan Gattis and Jose Oliva.
Riley lengthens the lineup, adding another projectable 20-plus homer slugger while his versatility should keep him playing every day. Acuna, Freeman, Donaldson and Riley are supreme power threats; then there’s Ozzie Albies and Swanson, who are plenty capable of pop themselves.
“It’s good to see,” Snitker said. “It’s a new trait in our club, all the home runs. Austin has helped that. This pitching is so good (in today’s game) that it’s hard to string hits together. The power is big on a club.”
The Braves’ bullpen is their oft-discussed weakness. The team itself wants to see how the rotation develops over the course of the season. Both will be points of emphasis at the trade deadline.
It helps when the offense is at its best. Through much of the season, the Braves hadn’t found consistency with the bats. It was teeter-totter-like, unable to get everyone’s, or even the majority’s, peak performance together simultaneously.
There will be more hot streaks, slumps and everything in between. But when the credit card bill comes due at the end of September, it’s increasingly conceivable to see the Braves ranking near the top of the senior circuit in offense.
And it likely will happen with variations of this lineup, stapled by Acuna at the top.
“I wouldn’t want to face our lineup,” said starter Max Fried, who leads the NL in wins (seven) and average run support (8.94). “It’s really deep. It’s hitter after hitter. … It’s challenging every time. As a starting staff, we’re just trying to get as deep as possible and keep the runs down and they’ll outscore them.”
