Braves Briefing: Atlanta's offense is capable of striking from anywhere in the lineup

We knew going into this season that the Atlanta Braves offense was going to be good.

But did we know it was going to be this deep?

The average MLB slashline is .248/.321/.408, with five homeruns. Five of the Braves lineup spots have better batting averages than that, with two more (2nd and 3rd) being just a few extra base hits away from beating that. Every lineup spot but the 9 hole for Atlanta has more homeruns than the MLB average of five per hitter, with the Braves having hit 74 as a team and having four players already in double digits on the season.

The bottom three spots of the order, normally an offensive wasteland for most teams occupied by glove-first catchers and light hitting defenders, is batting .250/.323/.428 with a collective nineteen homeruns.

And this offense could have an even higher ceiling if not for the cold streaks of 3B Austin Riley (.246/.326/.407 ) and OF Michael Harris II (.194/.284/.292). Imagine the possibilities of this fully armed and operational lineup!

NL East Standings

Whew, the Mets played a wild one against Tampa Bay, and won it thanks to long balls from the kids. After a three-run homerun from fresh call-up Mark Vientos tied the game in the 7th, the visiting Rays struck back and had a three-run lead going into the 9th. Rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez launched a game-tying three-run bomb to send it to extras, and 1B Pete Alonso walked it off with a homer in the 10th.

Here's a look at the updated divisional standings:

Team	Record	GB	Action Today
Braves	27-16	--	OFF
Marlins	22-21	5.0	vs Nationals
Mets	21-23	6.5	vs Rays
Phillies	20-23	7.0	Off
Nationals	18-25	9.0	@ Marlins

We Wrote It

Braves Today founder Zac Blackerby covered the takeaways for last night's comeback win, and had this prescient observation about Ronald Acuña Jr's dominance:

The Braves outfielder has now hit a home run in

four straight games

and is the bright spot of the six-game road trip.

Looking at Acuña's last nine home runs, they've all been smashed over 420 feet. Ronald's got eleven bombs on the season, to go with eighteen stolen bases, and is on pace for an unprecedented 41 homerun / 64 stolen base season.

READ: Takeaways: Atlanta Braves come back and win in final game vs the Texas Rangers

What's next?

The Braves enjoy an off day before starting a three game set at home against the Seattle Mariners. First pitch on Friday night is at 7:20 PM ET, and it's the "Bryce Bowl", features Seattle RHP Bryce Miller against Braves RHP Bryce Elder. The game broadcast is another Apple TV+ exclusive. The radio call, with Ben Ingram, is available locally on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan or outside the Atlanta market on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network or MLB.com, as well as within Apple TV+.

Check out Braves Today on Socials!
Follow Braves Today on Twitter!
Like Braves Today on Facebook!
Check out the homepage for more Atlanta Braves News!
Subscribe to Braves Today on YouTube!
Get Exclusive Braves Merchandise from FOCO