Over the last couple of weeks, the Braves have gotten a tantalizing glimpse of what October baseball will be like.
Atlanta lined up with the Dodgers for three games at Truist Park with the two clubs battling for seeding in the National League, and they walked away with a sweep in a series where every game was decided by one run.
This past weekend, they traveled to Philadelphia for a four-game set with the NL East crown on the line. The Phillies — trailing by four games in the division — desperately needed a series win to start making up some ground with less than a month left in the regular season. Instead, they were forced to salvage a split on Monday, thanks to a Jesus Luzardo masterclass on the mound.
If it’s taught us anything, it’s that the Braves shouldn’t be afraid of anyone come October, especially if Ronald Acuña Jr. and Austin Riley — who Jeff Francoeur believes are the keys to Atlanta’s success come the postseason — can stay hot.
Ronald Acuña Jr. was the talk of baseball over the weekend. He had seven hits against the Phillies, including two that left the yard — and his ability to admire those long balls around the bases was a hot topic of conversation. He’s all of a sudden become the hottest hitter in the Braves lineup, which completely elevates the ceiling of this club. When he’s swinging the bat with confidence, Atlanta has an entirely different swagger about them.
Riley also had a productive series, recording three hits and a home run, but it was his triple in the ninth inning Sunday that ultimately got the Braves that all-important second win, which guaranteed them at least a split of the series going into Monday.
The Braves third baseman still hasn’t looked anything close to the perennial MVP candidate he was a few years ago, but the second half of the season has been far more encouraging than anything we saw in the first half, recording a .735 OPS over his last 56 games. Atlanta is hoping for a little bit more down the stretch, but having that game-changing potential at the bottom of the lineup remains something that could play a significant role when everything is heightened come the postseason.
Sean Murphy‘s another name that should be added to that list. He only appeared in two games against the Phillies and did not have a hit, but he’s still hitting .324 with a 1.072 OPS over his last ten games while being an absolute gem defensively behind the plate. That’s really given Walt Weiss some versatility with his lineups, and come the postseason, that’s a massive advantage that cannot be overstated.
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(Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)