ATLANTA — If the Braves are going to begin hitting homers like this once more, then possibly they will persevere as they spend at the least the following couple weeks with out one other of their star outfielders.
Jarred Kelenic’s fifth-inning go-ahead shot was the primary of 4 residence runs the membership hit to again an efficient Charlie Morton in a 9-2 win over the Rays on Saturday afternoon at Truist Park. Atlanta has gained three straight video games for the primary time since Might 8-11 and has spent the previous two days escaping its lengthy offensive funk.
“I really feel like now we have so many gifted guys in right here, as soon as we get a bit of little bit of momentum, I really feel like the sport is type of over,” Kelenic mentioned. “As soon as we took the lead proper there, particularly with the large canines arising behind me, you noticed it. … They capitalized, and we had a giant inning.”
Kelenic, who was filling the leadoff spot for the primary time this season, Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson all homered within the decisive five-run fifth in opposition to Rays starter Ryan Pepiot. Austin Riley added a three-run blast within the seventh. This marked simply the third time the Braves have hit 4 homers in a sport this season, and the primary since April 19. They did so a franchise-record 20 instances final 12 months.
Morton restricted Tampa Bay to at least one run over six innings and benefited from the ability surge that prolonged Atlanta’s current success. The Braves scored six runs in Thursday’s win in Baltimore, and so they have totaled 16 runs by the primary two video games of this sequence. This stretch has created hope the lineup can persevere with out Ronald Acuña Jr., who suffered a season-ending left knee harm on Might 26, and Michael Harris II, who will probably miss at the least a month after straining his left hamstring on Friday night time.
“It’s good to see a variety of the completely different guys who’re getting their momentum going,” Braves supervisor Brian Snitker mentioned.
Ozuna has produced a powerful MVP-caliber resume whereas main the Nationwide League in residence runs (20), RBIs (62) and OPS (1.021). His two-run homer in Saturday’s fifth inning allowed him to affix Acuña (2021), Freddie Freeman (‘17), Andruw Jones (‘05), Gary Sheffield (‘03) and Javy Lopez (‘03) as the one Braves to hit 20-plus homers by the crew’s first 68 video games since 2000.
Now, it’s time for a few of Ozuna’s teammates to assist him carry the load. No different Braves participant has produced an .800 OPS or larger this 12 months. The closest to achieve this mark is Olson, whose success over the previous few weeks has offered him with a .794 OPS, far beneath the .993 OPS he constructed whereas main the Majors with a franchise-record 54 homers final 12 months.
Olson went again to again with Ozuna within the fifth and now has 11 homers, seven shy of the entire he had by 68 video games final 12 months. The veteran first baseman has hit .333 with a 1.005 OPS over his previous 19 video games, courting again to Might 26, the day Acuña was injured.
Now, the Braves are hoping Riley is starting a type of tears they’ve frequently benefited from as he hit 30-plus homers every of the previous three seasons. The highly effective third baseman has gone yard within the first two video games of the sequence in opposition to the Rays after homering simply 3 times within the 53 video games he had performed earlier than Friday.
“Proper now, he’s seeing the ball nice,” Kelenic mentioned. “He’s such a gifted participant. Nobody was apprehensive in any way about him. Baseball is a tricky sport.”
Kelenic has endured his share of rising pains since being taken by the Mets with the sixth general choose within the 2018 MLB Draft. He was traded to the Mariners a number of months later and struggled through the three seasons he spent with Seattle. The gifted outfielder has spent the previous few weeks displaying Atlanta could have been clever to gamble on his upside by buying him this winter.
With Harris sidelined for some time, Kelenic might be given the prospect to maintain his new roles because the crew’s beginning heart fielder and leadoff hitter. He’s a talented defender who runs the bases nicely, and his bat has proven some life as he has hit .306 with an .887 OPS in 11 video games this month.
“I’m simply attempting to deal with it like one at-bat at a time,” Kelenic mentioned. “It permits me to only be current within the field. It makes me keep even-keeled and play chess in opposition to the pitcher.”
