Braves hot to trot
The club is basking in the glow of one of its best starts to the season in four years.
Yes, it’s true. Thursday’s 11-0 win against the New York Mets made the Atlanta Braves 19-11 on the season and in first place by 1½ games in the National League East.
Not only that, but the win gave the Braves their first series sweep this year. They have now won seven series, lost one and tied two overall, while they are 2-1-2 in road series. Here are a few observations on the Braves’ hot start:
Braves starting pitchers allowed one run or less in five consecutive starts prior to Friday’s game against San Francisco, and those pitchers collected the victory in each of those starts.
Julio Teheran retired 20 of the first 21 hitters he faced Thursday, and he carried a no-hit bid into the seventh inning. Teheran pitched seven innings, giving up two hits, two walks and no runs.
It was the best Teheran had looked all season, which was especially positive after his last outing was cut short due to injury.
Teheran’s great outing was preceded by that of Sean Newcomb, who pitched seven innings of shutout ball with eight strikeouts Wednesday. He gave up two hits and one walk.
The Braves’ starting rotation has compiled a 2.48 ERA while going 12-2 over the last 25 games.
Not to be outdone, the Braves’ offense has been on a roll. The Braves have 301 hits on the season, which is the highest total in the major leagues. The Braves also lead the majors with 172 runs scored.
The Braves are 7-1 since Ronald Acuna Jr. was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett. The 20-year-old is batting .382 with 13 hits in 34 at-bats, including two home runs and five RBIs.
Acuna’s homer into the second deck of New York’s Citi Field on Thursday was measured at 451 feet and had an exit velocity of 112 miles per hour according to MLB’s StatCast. Exit velocity is the speed at which the baseball comes off the bat when a batter makes contact.
It was the highest exit velocity a Braves hitter has had all season.
The Braves are 9-1 in day games. Acuna, Kurt Suzuki, Nick Markakis and Ozzie Albies all hit home runs Thursday. Albies, who hit a three-run shot off Matt Harvey in the seventh inning, leads the team and is tied for the NL lead with 10 homers.
Markakis is happy with how the lineup is hitting so far.
“I’ve been a part of some good lineups, but this one — top to bottom — has power, speed. It’s all there,” the 13-year veteran said on Fox Sports South. “We are having great at-bats. We’ve had a pretty tough schedule. We’re putting good atbats together, barreling them, making them work. Things are turning around.”
The Braves, who have won five straight to move eight games over .500, have not been in first place this early since July 20, 2014. The last time the Braves were eight games over .500 was Aug. 31, 2014.
The Braves play three at home against the San Francisco Giants, beginning with Friday’s contest, which will be the SunTrust Park crowd’s first chance to see Acuna in person.
“I think it’s going to be rockin’ Friday, quite honestly,” Snitker told the media in New York. “Figured the road trip we had, the way these guys are playing — they are leaving it out there every night.”