The Atlanta Braves have been a very interesting team to watch this season, odd might even be a better word for it. For one, they can not win on the road as they have lost 26 of their last 36 away from Turner Field. On a positive note they have been near impossible to beat at home with a record of 25-11. Overall they are 45-34 and are tied for the third best record in the National League.
This team has two glaring stats that stick out more than any other. They are second in the NL in home runs with 97 and first in the NL in strikeouts with 704. What’s even more interesting is how they have fared when hitting a homerun, opposed to not driving one out of the park. When hitting one home run their record is 40-9 and what’s even better is when they hit two home runs or more they are 27-1, which ranks first in Major League Baseball. With such a high amount of home runs hit means it’s only right that 46.7% of their runs have been scored via the long ball.
The problem with this Braves lineup has been the lack of timely hitting with runners in scoring position. If they do not hit a homerun they are averaging 1.4 runs per game. When they do hit a homerun they are averaging 5.6 runs per game. The main question at hand is whether or not they can sustain this throughout the entire season. For the time being it has worked out but ever since the Braves 12 game winning streak they haven’t played extremely well. They win a few then lose a few but the main goal is to keep the division lead. They are currently five games ahead of the Washington Nationals who sit at 39-38. The five game lead is the most of any division in baseball.
Maybe they do rely on hitting home runs too much but it has worked out to this point in the season. The Braves are struggling as of late though losing six of their past nine games. This division is far from over and if the Braves can’t continue hitting the long ball they could be in a world of hurt. If Justin Upton can get his hand healthy and start swinging a hot bat once Evan Gattis comes off the DL you could see this club go on another big winning streak.