The Braves earned another W yesterday as they split with the Washington Nationals and have won 24 games so far in this shortened 60-game season. The Braves are 24-16 and have a three game lead in the NL East over the Philadelphia Phillies (19-17).
Notes from this past week that might be of interest:
-Braves won 5 in a row including a sweep of the Red Sox in Boston. Last time Braves swept the Red Sox in Boston was back in 2002. In game two of the series LF/DH Marcell Ozuna went yard three times. In the final game of the series OF Adam Duvall went yard three times as well and Ozuna topped of the home run feast with adding another as well. Duvall and Ozuna tied a record of three home runs in back to back games with Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth in 1930. The Braves had a chance for one player to hit three home runs in three straight games as OF Ronald Acuna, Jr led off Friday night’s game with a home run, added a second with his next at bat, but in the 7th hit a dribbler back to the pitcher.
-The Braves have hit at least one home run in the last 11 games
-In last Friday’s night cap game of the doubleheader against the Washington Nationals, 1B Freddie Freeman hit his first grand slam in his 11-year career. It took him 232 home runs to finally hit the grandest of all home runs. It didn’t take him long to hit his second grand slam, which game two days later on Sunday against the same Nationals. Freeman and his wife are expecting twin boys and as his wife stated on Twitter: “I guess everything comes in twos now.”
-Acuna hit two more game lead-off home runs and now holds the Braves record at 18 game lead-off home runs.
-Both starting pitcher Cole Hamels and starting 2B Ozzie Albies are almost ready to return to the club. Hamels threw live batting practice and Albies is practicing with the club at 2B and hitting in the cage. Plan is for both of them to go to the Gwinnett Stripers AAA alternative site for this year to play in some alternative scrimmage games before returning to the big league team sometime this mid week.
-Braves have 20 more games in the season and have a chance to claim their 3rd straight NL East Title.
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