ATLANTA -- Remember when the Braves lost 19 of their last 28 games before the All-Star break? How about when they didn’t land a frontline starting pitcher before Monday’s Trade Deadline?
While that latter issue might prove problematic in October, there is currently plenty of reason to be excited about the Braves. They claimed a season-high seventh straight win and gained MLB’s second-best record with a 4-1 win over the Marlins on Wednesday night at Truist Park.
“We're not surprised,” utility man Mauricio Dubón said. “You're gonna hit some bumps. That's baseball. That's why we play 162.”
Austin Riley laced an RBI double and Bryce Elder surrendered one hit and one run over seven innings for the Braves (69-45), who have won 14 of 19 since the break. Atlanta’s .605 winning percentage puts them just ahead of the Dodgers (.600 win pct., 69-46) and only behind the Brewers (.623, 71-43) among all MLB teams.
Here are three keys to Atlanta’s turnaround:
1. Riley’s bounceback
The veteran third baseman still hasn’t gone on one of those tears he regularly enjoyed while producing three consecutive 30-homer seasons from 2021-23. But he also doesn’t look like the guy who entered the break hitting .207 with a .617 OPS.
Riley’s RBI double off Eury Pérez in the second inning had a 109.5 mph exit velocity, according to Statcast. He has regularly hit the ball harder over the past few weeks than he did when he produced a 90.5 mph average exit velocity during the season’s first half. Riley entered Wednesday having produced a 95.5 mph average exit velocity since the break.
“He’s hitting the ball hard,” manager Walt Weiss said. “When guys struggle, they start to feel for the ball a little bit. They get defensive. But it looks like he’s getting his 'A' swing off. That’s a really good sign.”
Two of the four homers Riley has hit since the break were against Nathan Eovaldi on July 19. So, he hasn’t enjoyed a tremendous power surge yet. But he has hit .303 with a .897 OPS since the start of the second half.
“He’s too good to not have an impact at some point,” Elder said. “He’s a special player. We’ve seen it for a long time and we’re seeing it now.”
2. Elder’s resurgence
If the playoffs started tomorrow, the Braves could confidently give Elder the ball for a Game 2 start. The right-hander was in total control, keeping the Marlins hitless until Jakob Marsee doubled ahead of Joe Mack’s RBI groundout in the fifth.
“I was happy with that,” Elder said. “I think that's probably the best command I've had in a long time. My changeup was really good. I was pleased with it. I like where I am.”
Elder exited his June 7 start against the Pirates with a 2.71 ERA over a 21-start stretch going back to Aug. 24, 2025. That ranked ninth among all MLB starters during that span. He fatigued over the next few weeks and produced an 11.00 ERA over his final four starts before the break. But he has logged a 1.50 ERA (5 ER in 24 IP) over four starts since then.
3. Baldwin’s impact
The All-Star catcher looked lost when he returned from the injured list on June 16 and hit .079 (5-for-63) in his first 16 games back with Atlanta. But his two-hit game on Wednesday prolonged the success he has had over the past few weeks. Baldwin has hit .338 (25-for-74) with a .984 OPS since the break.
“I’m so proud of this group,” Weiss said. “We were a long ways away after June. We had really fallen back. But here we are, back where we were, when we were playing really well. This is a great response from our guys.”