MILWAUKEE – If you hadn’t noticed, Nick Markakis has performed for the past couple of months like the player he was during a stellar nine-season career with the Orioles, and the Braves have been better as a result.
The veteran right fielder had a double and a home run – his seventh — in Monday’s 12-inning win against the Brewers and in his past 20 games he had a .375 average, including .429 (15-for-35) with four doubles, two homers and 10 RBIs in his last 10 games before Tuesday.
Go back further, to June 5, and here’s what Markakis, 32, did offensively in his past 56 games: Hit .306 with a .361 OBP, .452 slugging percentage, 20 extra-base hits and 31 RBIs.
“You talk about coming up in all the right spots and coming through in all the big spots,” Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said after Tuesday’s game, when Markakis’ ground-rule double in the 12th inning helped set up Gordon Beckham’s game-winning sacrifice fly. “He’s always reliable. He’s just such a professional and gives you great at-bats.
“Every at-bat, he battles his rear off and never gives an at-bat away. And lately he’s gotten a lot of big hits.”
Markakis, who has two years and $11 million annually on his contract after this season, entered Tuesday batting .273 with a .349 OBP and .391 slugging percentage. The average and OBP are down a little from his first season with the Braves in 2015, but the slugging percentage is 15 points higher and rising, and his seven home runs are already more than double the career-low three he had last season.
His .319 average (38-for-119) average with runners in scoring position was easily the best among seven Braves with at least 50 at-bats in those situations, and his .313 (21-for-67) with RISP and two outs was easily the best among nine Braves with at least 20 such at-bats.
If he keeps hitting like he has for the past two months, Markakis will finish with 10 or more homers for the 10th time in an 11-season career and could finish with marks near his Baltimore totals in average (.290), OBP (.358) and slugging (.435). His 60 RBIs before Tuesday were already his most since he drove in 73 runs in 2011.
His significant power dropoff in 2015 looks more like a direct result of the December 2014 neck surgery that prevented him from working out during the offseason and forced him to miss much of spring training. His strength has returned.
There wasn’t much trade interest from other teams before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, but if Markakis keeps hitting like he has lately it wouldn’t be surprising if a team or two checked with the Braves on his availability before the end of the month. Teams can make waiver trades and some contenders will still be looking to add a possible piece before September for playoff races and postseason rosters.
But the Braves also seem content to keep Markakis, a leader in the clubhouse who doesn’t say much, but leads by example with his work habits and intensity, and has the undivided attention of teammates when he does address them.
The Braves were 24-24 with 198 runs scored and 45 homers in 48 games going back to June 15, including 9-4 with a .295 batting average, 64 runs and 11 homers in their past 13 games before Tuesday.
“Our main objective it so to go out and win every night, and learn,” Markakis said. “And learn together. I’m still learning and this is my 11th season. You’re going to be learning constantly throughout your career, it’s a good sign of what’s going on around here so far.”
The Braves want to avoid 100 losses and want to establish some momentum to finish this season before they move into a new ballpark in 2017. But Markakis said it goes beyond that.
“It’s always important to finish up strong, no matter what situation you’re in,” he said.
Maintaining a positive attitude, not showing frustration – these are the things that can help an out-of-the-running team, especially with young players, get through the second half without spiraling. The Braves, rather than going quietly after their poor start, are instead playing their best ball during what are typically the “dog days” for out-of-the-running teams.
“It’s a learning process,” Markakis said. “I went through it when I was young (with many out-of-contention-early Baltimore teams). I struggled early on, too. It’s about how you deal with it and how you overcome it. That goes back to the veterans leading the way and showing the young guys. It’s a team sport, probably one of the most out of all of them. And we’ve got to play together. We’ve just got to stick to our game plan, be good role models and play the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”
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