ATLANTA -- Austin Riley isn’t a stranger to slow starts. This year’s early stretch might have been more frustrating than some previous ones. But it hasn’t been drastically different from what he experienced during the first seven weeks of his great 2023 season.
Riley’s history shows that, when healthy, one good game could be the start of a long, impressive streak. That confidence-enhancing performance might have occurred when Riley homered and doubled in the Braves’ 8-1 win over the Red Sox Sunday at Truist Park.
“We know Austin is going to get really hot and take off,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said.
Riley drilled a three-run homer off Brayan Bello in the first inning and added a fifth-inning double. This marked just the third time this season that the two-time Silver Slugger Award-winner tallied two extra-base hits in a game.
Some of this success could be attributed to a slight mechanical tweak the Braves' third baseman made after it was pointed out that his left hip and front shoulder were dipping during his load at the plate.
“I stayed through a [cutter], which was really nice in my first at-bat,” Riley said. “Then, the changeup I hit down the line for a double, I stayed through the ball. That was encouraging.”
When Riley tallied multiple extra-base hits on April 15 and 17, there was an expectation he might go on a tear. But though he has been more productive over the past few weeks, he still hasn’t gone on one of those tears we regularly saw when he hit 30-plus homers in three straight seasons (2021-23).
Riley has hit .220 with seven home runs and a .671 OPS through the Braves’ first 47 games this year. He hit .256 with seven homers and a .746 OPS through the team’s first 47 games in 2023.
How did the rest of that season go? Well, he ended up hitting .281 with 37 homers and an .861 OPS.
“When he gets hot, it’s special,” Braves starting pitcher Grant Holmes said after tossing six scoreless innings in this series finale.
The Braves have constructed the game’s best record (32-15) with the help of an offense that ranks second in the Majors in runs scored (250). They have had one of the game’s best offenses despite the slow starts from Riley and Mike Yastrzemski.
Yastrzemski spent this past week showing how quickly a frustrating stretch can turn into an encouraging one. The veteran outfielder hit a go-ahead homer against the Cubs on Tuesday and a go-ahead double against them the next day. The suburban Boston native then sunk his Hall of Fame grandfather’s team with a game-ending double in Atlanta’s win on Friday.
Yastrzemski can’t say that he had the game-winning hit in each of the four wins the Braves had during this six-game homestand. But he did tally his second homer of the season on Sunday. His OPS rose from .516 to .643 during this homestand.
“He had a nice homestand,” Weiss said. “Hopefully this is the start of something for him.”
Yastrzemski and Riley are heating up just ahead of Ronald Acuña Jr.’s return from the injured list. Acuña will be with the team during this week’s series against the Marlins, but Weiss said the turf in Miami is one of the reasons the star outfielder will likely not be activated before Friday’s home game against the Nationals.
When Acuña was named the 2023 NL MVP, Riley finished seventh in balloting for the award. It’s something that wasn’t anticipated 47 games into that season.
“I’ve continued working every day, trying to get it going,” Riley said. “The last week or so, it's been really nice.”