Mauricio Dubón Extends Dominant Week, Braves Claim Another Series Opener

The week of Mauricio Dubón added another chapter to it, as the Atlanta Braves picked up another series-opening win, this one against the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-3.

For the third straight game, he belted one over the fence for a home run. His two-run shot to left tied the game 3-3 in the bottom of the third inning. He’s someone who thrives when the team is behind and needs someone who step up. However, he didn’t waste any time when they needed someone to give them the lead either.

“All those big hits he’s had - pretty easy to write his name in the lineup, and tough on the days where I haven’t written his name in the lineup,” manager Walt Weiss said.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, he went to the opposite field with a screaming line drive that skipped past outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia, driving in Michael Harris II to give them a lead they’d take all the way to the final out.

“I feel good, man. It feels good,” Dubón said after the game. “This is the best baseball right now in the world, and being able to contribute, get a hit right now, and that was pretty good.”

This is the first time he’s homered in three consecutive games in his career. Ronald Acuña Jr. did just that a week ago, and he followed it up. They’re leading a lineup that is firing on all cylinders from top to bottom.

It’s contagious. He’s already a self-proclaimed confident and cocky ballplayer, and even he said he’s feeding off the energy from the rest of the clubhouse.

He’s riding the wave as long as he can. He knows that there will be more ups and downs along the way, but having the right mindset and energy is what it takes to go through those waves across a long season.

When the opportunities come, all you have to do is jump on them.

“I mean, I hit .190 in May, and I know it’s part of the game, man. You’re gonna go up and down. You’re going to go north, south and everything. Just have your head leveled, stay the same and everything, and you know, try to, you know, a couple hits you get when you’re in a fun, make it matter.”

This effort helped the Braves claim another series opener. They improved to 16-5 (.762) in series openers this season, surpassing the Milwaukee Brewers (.750, 15-5) for the best record in those games.

It's been especially good for them at Truist Park. They've won seven straight series openers at home dating to April 24 versus Philadelphia, and are 10-1 in home series openers overall.

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