3 things Braves must do to keep their June winning streak alive
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Braves must do these things if they want to keep their June winning streak alive.
Winners of 12 in a row, the Atlanta Braves are, without question, the hottest team in baseball now.
Hotter than Hansel in Zoolander and hotter than Dansby Swanson going yard on Javy Lopez bobblehead night, the Braves are back to being an absolute wagon, gang. Unfortunately, they are, in fact, going to lose a game again at some point. It’s science, and it’s sadly inevitable. As the soft part of their schedule draws to a close, here is what the Braves have to do to get to 13 wins or more.
Atlanta has two more dates in Washington before making their annual trip to Wrigley. After that, the Braves need to get ready for the San Francisco Giants, the Los Angeles Dodgers and those Fightin’ Philadelphia Phillies.
Atlanta Braves: 3 things they must do to keep their June winning streak alive
3. The Braves must continue to be absolute menaces on the base paths
One of the best parts about this run the Braves are on is that they are not afraid to run. Their speed kills, bruh. While Atlanta has not usually made it a point to run like mad men on the base paths throughout much of my lifetime, it has been such a fun watch of late. So why is being “risky” on the base paths such a big deal for them? It creates an extra nuisance for pitchers to navigate.
Whether it is Ronald Acuña Jr. scoring from first on a bloop single behind the bag, Dansby Swanson taking second whenever he feels like it or Michael Harris II going first to third on any single to the outfield, it all adds up. Speed on the bases makes it even more difficult for middling to mediocre teams to play their A-game vs. the Braves. Those clubs end up with very little margin for error.
So to continue to be menaces on the base paths, the Braves must have great plate discipline and not be afraid to draw walks. No doubt about it: this team will strike out in bunches. The bats will cool off at some point, but their approach once they get on first, second or third should not change. This is how the Braves can manufacture a run when the balls are not flying into the seats.
Not every team is built to run, so the Braves must use this awesome attribute to their advantage.