ATLANTA — Was it a coincidence that Ozzie Albies constructed his greatest day of a frustration-filled season simply two days after good pal Ronald Acuña Jr. returned to the Braves’ lineup?
“He brings a number of vitality to the lineup, all of us see it,” Albies mentioned. “It’s nice. While you see him going, the workforce goes with him.”
That was the hope. However even after Acuña started the weekend with a bang and continued to indicate his super skills all through the sequence with San Diego, the Braves didn’t benefit from his spectacular return. They squandered Albies’ first multi-extra-base hit recreation of the season in a 5-3 loss to the Padres on Sunday afternoon.
San Diego went 6-1 towards Atlanta this 12 months.
Listed below are three takeaways from a loss that moved the Braves two video games beneath .500 (25-27) getting into a street sequence towards the first-place Phillies on Tuesday evening.
1) Was this the beginning of one thing?
As Albies’ struggles prolonged over the previous few weeks, there was extra cause to query whether or not the Braves ought to give the second base duties to Eli White. However the chatter was halted Sunday, when the three-time All-Star tallied an RBI double within the second earlier than fueling a two-run fifth with one other double off Dylan Stop.
Albies has raised his OPS from .587 to .650 whereas hitting .366 (15-for-41) throughout his present 11-game hitting streak. This has been an encouraging stretch. However earlier than Sunday, simply two of the hits throughout this streak had been of the extra-base selection, and each had been doubles.
This isn’t the type of manufacturing anticipated from the 28-year-old second baseman who had a .479 slugging share from 2017-23.
“It has been very encouraging the previous couple of days and even on the final street journey,” Braves supervisor Brian Snitker mentioned. “That’d be big if we might get him going constantly, like he has over the previous couple of years.”
Albies’ energy manufacturing truly started to wane final 12 months. He had a .407 slugging share within the 90 video games he performed earlier than lacking two months with a fractured left wrist suffered on July 21.
Albies is within the closing assured 12 months of a deal that features a $7 million membership possibility for each of the subsequent two seasons. He stays one probably the most beloved members of the clubhouse. However his offensive struggles mixed with a major lower in arm energy created cause to at the very least query how he would possibly match with Atlanta over the subsequent couple years.
“I’ve been working actual exhausting to get the swing the place I want it to be,” Albies mentioned. “It’s coming alongside.”
2) Schellwenbach nonetheless studying
Spencer Schwellenbach matched a profession excessive with 11 strikeouts, however he additionally surrendered a pair of homers in Sunday’s loss. Gavin Sheets’ decisive two-run homer got here towards a 0-2 slider that was beneath the zone, however clearly not down far sufficient.
“I’ve simply bought to be taught when it’s time to execute a pitch, you’ve bought to do it,” Schwellenbach mentioned.
This was truly the primary time Schwellenbach has surrendered a homer towards an 0-2 pitch. The 24-year-old hurler has posted a 3.38 ERA over the 192 innings he has accomplished by means of his first 32 profession begins.
“I don’t know if bouncing a breaking ball is as simple as some guys make it look,” Snitker mentioned. “That’s one thing that comes with age and expertise and all of that.”
Schwellenbach shortly righted himself after posting a 7.17 ERA over a four-start stretch from April 15-Could 3. He has a 2.67 ERA within the 4 begins which have adopted.
The Braves weren’t the one ones praising Acuña as he performed his first sequence since tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament on Memorial Day weekend final 12 months. Padres third baseman Manny Machado felt lucky to cross the plate simply forward of the 104.9 mph throw the Braves outfielder made on Jackson Merrill’s RBI single within the first inning.
“104? Rattling,” mentioned Machado, who scored on Merrill’s single forward of Acuña’s throw — the toughest he is thrown from the outfield in his profession, per Statcast. “He is bought a hose. I have been a part of that earlier than, attempting to expire a double and I discovered my lesson. I used to be attempting to get him this time and I bought him. Now we’re even.”
Acuña hit a 467-foot homer towards the primary huge league pitch he noticed in 362 days on Friday. He homered once more on Saturday and displayed his rocket arm in every of his first three video games again. He went 4-for-12 with a double and two homers through the three-game set.
“He’s a beast, everyone knows that,” Albies mentioned.
