ATLANTA -- Regardless of the result of Monday’s makeup game against the Giants, the Braves will have plenty of reasons to fondly remember what transpired during this current homestand.
Sean Murphy homered yet again and Tyler Mahle spun another gem as the Braves completed a three-game series sweep with a 3-2, 10-inning win over the Rockies on Sunday afternoon. Atlanta has won seven straight, including each of the first six games of this homestand that began with a three-game sweep of the Dodgers.
“I’m proud of our guys for coming out here and taking care of business,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “All of it wasn't pretty, but the bottom line is we swept the series, which is hard to do.”
If there was one concerning development, Dylan Lee allowed two hits and one run to extend his recent struggles. But a 10-inning leadoff single by Ronald Acuña Jr. was followed by a walk-off single by Matt Olson, allowing the Braves to further distance themselves from where they were exactly one week earlier, when they entered Aug. 23 having lost seven of their past nine.
“We’re worlds apart from where we were a week ago,” Weiss said. “That’s why you have to have the right people in the room. You have guys who are willing to fight through that stuff.”
Here are three of the most encouraging developments of the homestand:
1.Two productive catchers
Weiss’ decision to use Drake Baldwin as a designated hitter opened the door to put Murphy behind the plate more frequently. The veteran catcher has responded by going 6-for-13 (.462) with two doubles and two home runs over his past four games. Not bad considering the injury-plagued veteran entered this homestand hitting .143 (6-for-42) with just one extra-base hit.
“I knew it was coming, but it was frustrating for a while,” Murphy said. “It’s good to see some other results."
Murphy’s leadoff homer off Mason Adams sparked Atlanta’s two-run third inning. The solo shot had a 103.3 mph exit velocity, per Statcast. Six of the eight balls the 2023 NL All-Star catcher put in play during this homestand had an exit velocity of 100 mph or higher. None of the 26 balls he put in play before Tuesday were hit 100 mph or harder. Just three were hit 95 mph or harder.
“I've played with Murph for a while now,” Olson said. “When he's got that right-center stroke down is normally when you see stuff kind of start taking off for him.”
2. Doing his thing
Mahle pitched around some first-inning trouble, and he allowed Jake McCarthy’s solo shot in the sixth. But the pitcher was otherwise in control as he recorded nine strikeouts and allowed just the one run over 6 2/3 innings. He has gone this exact distance in two of his past three appearances after lasting this long in just two of his first 20 starts of the season.
Mahle has posted a 1.48 ERA in the five starts he has made since being acquired from the Giants. He produced a 5.27 xERA through his first four starts with Atlanta. So there might be some regression over the next few weeks. But he has been a welcome addition to a Braves rotation that has posted a 2.87 ERA going back to Aug. 4, the day after the Trade Deadline.
“This is probably the best team I’ve ever been a part of,” Mahle said. “It’s nice to know I could come in and hit the ground running and not miss a beat with where this team was already. I could just fit in and do my part.”
3. Looking more like himself
Acuña got deked by Shohei Ohtani when the Dodgers’ star took second base on Wednesday night, then he was given a chance to rest on Thursday. The 2023 NL MVP responded by playing great defense throughout this three-game series. His bat also seemed far more lively.
Acuña tallied an RBI single in the third inning, and he went 6-for-9 (.667) with a double in this three-game sweep. Five of the balls he put in play on Friday and Saturday were hit 97.9 mph or harder.
Having two proven right-handed hitters like Acuña and Murphy show significant improvement seems to be the most encouraging development of the homestand.
“Those are two of the better things you can take away from this week, especially with teams targeting us with left-handed pitchers,” Weiss said. “If you can get [Acuña and Murphy] rolling and [Austin] Riley swinging the bat better, things change all of the sudden. It’s not as easy to match up against us.”