Despite being home to the all-time home run king, the Atlanta Braves have never been known for their ability to hit the ball out of the park. They are somewhat better known as the “Anti-Yankees,” if you will. They have country accents, less money, and very little power, but they have still found ways to to win.
However, the recent surge of power from the Atlanta Braves’ offense has proven that this team can hit the long ball just as well as the next squad and, with Atlanta’s dominating pitching staff, sometimes the Braves only need one or two of these home runs to win ball games.
Braves hitters have combined for 11 homers in their last six games, while the pitching staff has limited opponents to one homer in that same span. All of a sudden, the Braves have found that power that they have been searching for the whole season.
Jason Heyward finally reminded us that he can hit the ball over the fence while veterans Chipper Jones and Brian McCann have finally returned to their true form. Alex Gonzalez has three home runs as an Atlanta Brave and 20 for the the whole season. Meanwhile, Troy Glaus is once again showing signs of life, and hitting-machine Martin Prado will be returning from the DL any day now.
Suddenly, the Braves are looking powerful.
The Braves will be an even harder team to beat if they can continue to successfully combine great pitching and explosive offense. This month of August is a crucial month. The Braves must keep on finding ways to win baseball games and separate themselves from Philadelphia. This will be no easy task, but if Atlanta can continue to hit the ball well and shut down opposing offenses, they will be virtually unstoppable.
The long ball is an aspect of the Braves game that has seemed to be lacking for many years. If the Braves batters can stay healthy, that ball will continue to fly out of the park and the Braves will continue to win series.
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