Austin Riley in a groove at the plate

The Braves' patience with Austin Riley is paying off as the second-year player is doing well at the plate. Riley talks about his hot month of August.

He's going the other way (as he did Monday night when a triple into right field at Fenway Park cleared the bases), not whaling away at breaking pitches on the outside part of the plate and simply having better at bats.

Austin Riley always has made adjustments well in his second season at the same level he finished the previous season all through his career. And he's doing it this year for the Atlanta Braves.

Riley started slow, hitting just .118 in his first 11 games of the season through August 8. But since then, in 18 games, Riley has hit .303 (20-66) with four home runs and 14 runs batted in.

He's also got a five-game hit streak, with eight hits in 19 at bats for a .421 mark, two home runs and seven runs batted in. Sunday night Riley had a long home run at Citizen's Bank Park, and then he broke the 2-2 tie Monday at Fenway Park.

Manager Brian Snitker is obviously showing more confidence in Riley, moving him up to the fifth spot in the batting order with Ronald Acuna, Jr. out on Monday. That was the first time all season Riley hit fifth, as he's mainly hit sixth, seventh or eighth in the batting order.

But if Riley continues to hit well and show he's a legit power threat, Snitker will undoubtedly keep him in the middle of the lineup. With the Braves possibly needing to outslug opponents in games with the weak starting rotation, Riley could be a significant player for the Braves down the stretch.

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