Three takeaways from the Braves streak

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14 games. Since the start of June, the Braves have yet to lose. Last night, it was Austin Riley who fueled the offense with two bombs, moving him into second place in Major League Baseball with 18 homers. Here are some of my biggest takeaways from the series and the streak as a whole:

Power Surge

Although the Braves haven’t faced elite pitching by any means, they’ve been absolutely teeing off on everyone. The series in Washington looked like batting practice as Atlanta blasted 13 bombs in three games, setting a franchise record for the most homers in a three-game series. Additionally, the Braves have hit 2.5 homers a game during their win streak.

After a long stretch of solo homers to start the season, a lot more runs have come from two and three run dingers. Atlanta now has the second most homers in the majors and most in the NL with 97 balls sent over the fence. Like Jake discussed last week, the Braves have a legitimate shot at being one of the only teams to have eight players smash 20+ homers in a season.

Plate Discipline

From May to June, there has been a distinct difference in the offensive approach of the team. In May, striking out with two outs was a re-occurring theme. In June, we’ve seen plenty of clutch two-out rallies. In May, we saw a lot of batters go down in five or so pitches. This month, there have been plenty of extended, ten pitch at-bats (we miss you, Ozzie) Even these seemingly small adjustments have led to insane output. I’ll be interested to see if this offensive mettle continues against the dominant San Francisco and LA pitching staffs. 

Michael Harris II

It’s not just Michael Harris’ defense keeping him on the team. In June, he’s collected 20 hits and 10 RBIs to go along with his 1.034 OPS. Harris might even be forcing his way into the Rookie of the Year conversation. He has had elite production, but one of the most important impacts isn’t even directly caused by him. Since Harris took over centerfield, Adam Duvall has looked so much more comfortable at the dish and has seen a huge turnaround. This lineup is clicking from top to bottom, and I haven’t even mentioned Atlanta’s 2.72 June ERA. The Braves look better than they ever did last season, which is a scary thought for opposing teams.

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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

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