The Braves Are Back to Their Old Selves
After a not-so-hot start coming out of the All-Star Break, the Atlanta Braves are back to their old self after winning six of their last seven.
The Braves are showing signs of life again after a disappointing start to the second half of the season. Ronald Acuna Jr. is hitting .321 in the last seven games, Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis are hitting very well too, of course.
Their offense is looking better than ever with, not only, the top of the lineup but the bottom of the lineup hitting well too. Ender Inciarte is looking like his old self, hitting .391 in the last seven games. The bottom of the lineup is hitting so well, in fact, Julio Teheran hit a solo home run in the 5-4 victory over the Mets on Sunday.
Also, the Braves’ bullpen has looked sharp. Atlanta acquired Brad Brach, Darren O’Day, and Kevin Gausman from the Orioles and Jonny Venters from the Rays, and it has made a huge difference.
The bullpen was their one glaring hole, which made them make some last minute moves to get reliable relief pitchers. I can finally feel comfortable with a one-run lead late in the game knowing that they now have experienced pitchers in the bullpen.
Not only has the bullpen looked sharp, they even got Bullpen of the Week. That is not a typo, the 2018 Atlanta Braves got Bullpen of the Week and it was rightfully deserved. After going 6-1 in the last seven games, you bet our relief pitching did tremendous work in that stretch.
Furthermore, I think it is time to finally step away from Sam Freeman and Peter Moylan. Them two alone have allowed countless runs and blown leads in way too many games. Since the Braves have now acquired talented relief pitchers, it is now time to step away from them or maybe only use them when the Braves have a big lead…maybe.
Next. Braves Off-season Targets. dark
The Braves finally look like a complete ball club with better pitching and hitting. They also look like they can surprise a lot of teams later in the season with the revamped bullpen. The Braves look like an October team now and are ready for battle; moreover, there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel, and that light could finally lead to a Braves postseason berth in 2018.