Braves Today

The Braves winning streak has been fueled by unlikely sources

Who has stepped up their performance recently for Atlanta during this win streak?
Lindsay Crosby|
The Braves winning streak has been fueled by unlikely sources
The Braves winning streak has been fueled by unlikely sources

The Atlanta Braves are in a groove right now. Winners of six straight, they're relied on late offense and a shutdown bullpen to notch come from behind victories in each game of the win streak, including a sweep of the New York Mets where they rallied from three run deficits to win all three games, much to the consternation of WFAN's Sal Licata (the same Sal Licata who proudly proclaimed last May 31st that the "NL East was OVER" and would be easily won by the Mets.)

Who has stepped up for the Braves during this winning streak? 

LF Eddie Rosario

Eddie Rosario hates snakes - only possible explanation. 

During a three-game series in Arizona against the Diamondbacks, Rosario went 6-13 with two solo shots in game one, a triple in game two, and a game-winning grand slam with two outs in the 9th inning of game three. 

Similar to how a big series in Miami propelled slumping Marcell Ozuna into "Marcell May", Eddie Rosario has continued swinging a hot bat, going 5-18 with a double and an RBI since that Arizona series and hopefully will continue to dominate the month of June. 

CF Michael Harris II

In the six game win streak, Harris is 7-23 with two doubles and a homerun, driving in three and scoring three runs. It's a much-needed righty counterbalance to the lefty-dominating Braves lineup, and having him come up to lead off an inning midgame and then turning the lineup card over to the top of the order and Ronald Acuña Jr is a matchup nightmare for opposing managers. 

He's making his presence felt with both the bat and in the field, with several highlight catches against the Mets that kept runs off the board or limited the scoring to one run instead of the two or three that would have scored had he not made the play. 

DH Marcell Ozuna

Ozuna's gotten a hit in each of the six games in the win streak, going 8-20 during the stretch with one home run, three runs scored, and five RBIs, but his impact has been felt more broadly then when he has a bat in his hands. 

Michael Harris II, who had been slumping while playing through an hyperextended knee, directly credited Ozuna for his turnaround thanks to a timely chat the veteran had with him midgame during the Mets series: 

(Tuesday) night Marcell came up to me and gave me the pep talk that I needed. [...] He told me my season was starting with that at-bat, and ever since then I’ve been hitting the ball hard and seeing it good. He just reminded me that I have the potential to be one of the better players in the league, and just believe in myself and go out there and not worry about mechanical things, just go out there and play.”

Reliever AJ Minter

AJ Minter is SO back. 

The setup man, who was overused out of the pen during Raisel Iglesias' injury absence and got moved to a low-leverage role after blowing three saves and notching four losses during Iglesias' time on the IL, has seemingly worked through his issues and is back to form. 

In his last five appearances, all in the 7th inning or later, he's 1-0 with a save and two holds, allowing no runs or hits with only one walk and five strikeouts. His return to maximum effectiveness lengthens the Braves bullpen and has been a big contributor to the win streak, as the bullpen has allowed only one earned run during the streak. 

SS Orlando Arcia

10-27 during the winning streak with 6 RBIs, a homerun, and a double, Arcia's been one of the breakout players of the season for the Atlanta Braves. And in a win for General Manager Alex Anthopoulous, Arcia's 3-year, $7.3M extension means the Braves are getting some of the best all-around SS production from one of the more affordable starters in baseball. 

It's definitely most pronounced when comparing Arica to Mets SS Francisco Lindor. 

(We agree with this guy's suggestion, for the record)

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Lindsay Crosby
LINDSAY CROSBY

Managing Editor for Braves Today and the 2023 IBWAA Prospects/Minors Writer of the Year. You can reach him at contact@bravestoday.com

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