ATLANTA — Braves supervisor Brian Snitker and Ozzie Albies have skilled loads collectively over the previous decade, going all the way in which again to 2016, after they spent a pair weeks along with Triple-A Gwinnett.
So, it appeared solely becoming that they shared one other huge second collectively because the Braves claimed a 4-1 win over the Cubs on Monday night time at Truist Park. This was Snitker’s 800th victory as a Main League supervisor and it got here with assist from Albies’ homer in a three-run first inning.
“He’s simply a kind of guys you change into connected to, I’ve been round him so lengthy now,” Snitker mentioned. “I inform him he’s caught with me for the remainder of his life.”
Because the Braves play out the rest of what is going to seemingly be their first shedding season since 2017, they’re making many various assessments. They’ve cherished what they’ve seen from Bryce Elder, who enhanced confidence about subsequent 12 months’s rotation depth by limiting the Cubs to 1 run over 6 2/3 innings.
He has a 1.36 ERA over his previous 4 begins. That’s not unhealthy contemplating, the 2023 All-Star entered the primary of these 4 begins with a 6.21 ERA by means of his first 21 begins of the season.
There’s additionally cause to query what position Snitker will fill subsequent 12 months, which will likely be his fiftieth consecutive inside the Braves’ group. There’s been an expectation all through this season that he’ll retire when his contract expires on the finish of this season. However he hasn’t publicly voiced his plans.
Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos was additionally non-committal when requested about Snitker’s future. The veteran skipper is 69, the identical age his mentor, Bobby Cox, was when he retired.
“These are issues we at all times deal with on the finish of the 12 months,” Anthopoulos mentioned.
Whereas it’s not plausible that the supervisor’s future hasn’t been mentioned lower than three weeks from the regular-season finale, Albies is at the very least lucky that his future wasn’t decided on July 13, when he entered the All-Star break with the sixth-worst OPS (.606) amongst certified MLB gamers.
Albies has hit .286 with 9 homers and an .830 OPS because the break. In doing so, he has halted the questions on whether or not the Braves ought to train his $7 million possibility ($4 million buyout) for 2026.
“No matter occurs, occurs,” Albies mentioned. “I don’t know what’s going to occur.”
Even with the second half resurgence, Anthopoulos wasn’t prepared to decide to saying Albies’ possibility will likely be exercised, However he would seemingly have plenty of explaining to do if he doesn’t deliver the beloved second baseman again.
Cubs starter Shota Imanaga can actually attest to Albies’ restored energy. The three-time All-Star’s homer that fueled Monday’s three-run first got here off the bat at 108.1 mph. This was the hardest-hit of the infielder’s 16 homers this 12 months. It was much more spectacular than the homer (104.4 mph exit velo) he hit towards Imanaga final week in Wrigley.
Together with hitting the ball tougher on a extra constant foundation, Albies is again to being a risk from the appropriate facet of the plate. The switch-hitter went homerless in his first 138 at-bats from the appropriate facet. However Monday’s solo shot gave him 4 homers in a span of 20 at-bats towards left-handed pitchers going again to Aug. 26.
“It simply took him some time to get that half going,” Snitker mentioned. “Everyone knows how electrical he may be when he will get his sport going there.”
Even because it’s change into obvious he has gotten stronger because the season has progressed, Albies has by no means used final 12 months’s left wrist fracture as an excuse for his early season struggles. He persevered and now finds himself with an opportunity for a 20-homer season and a .700-plus OPS.
This actually wasn’t envisioned a pair months in the past, when there was cause to query how for much longer he would prolong a Braves tenure that dated again to 2017, when he made his MLB debut with Snitker as his supervisor.
“I’ve at all times mentioned, for those who play the sport the way in which Ozzie does, you are going to play it proper,” Snitker mentioned. “He’s received plenty of respect for the sport. He likes to play it with plenty of enthusiasm.”
