The Atlanta Braves are back in the postseason. The Braves had a pretty mediocre season up until August. It included an infamous MLB record 18-game streak in which the squad alternated wins and losses. Of course, the streak retroactively doesn’t count because it was cancelled out by a postponed game that was finished in September.
August was the month the Braves figured it out. Over 26 games, the team went 18-8 and captured first place for the first time in 2021. It was a position the team would not relinquish for the remainder of the year.
So what made the team so successful in August? Sure, they beat up on some bottom-feeders like the Nationals, Orioles, and Marlins. Austin Riley and Freddie Freeman both had terrific months, each batting over .300 and slugging over .500. But both of these players were excellent throughout the year, so that can’t explain the Braves’ run of dominance in August.
There are two other players who flourished in August, and the team will need them to find their dominance again in order to beat the Milwaukee Brewers to move on.
Dansby Swanson
Dansby Swanson had quite the rollercoaster of a season. Through June he was abysmal, posting a putrid .289 OBP and .720 OPS. He improved greatly in July before exploding in August. He slashed .320/.378/.520 for an .898 OPS.
Early in the year, striking out was Swanson’s biggest issue. From April through June (while the Braves struggled to remain in the division race), he had a 28.2% strikeout-rate and 6.9% walk-rate. Swanson slashed his strikeout percentage by more than half to only 12.6% and walked 8.1% of the time in August.Â
With Ronald Acuña Jr. and Marcell Ozuna out for the season, Swanson helped fill in the missing offensive gap. Combining that bat with his strong glove at shortstop made Swanson one of the most valuable shortstops in the National League.
Richard Rodriguez
Richard Rodriguez came to the Braves midseason in a trade deadline maneuver that saw the team lose a strong prospect in Bryse Wilson to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rodriguez was having quite the season in Pittsburgh, posting a 2.62 ERA in while earning 14 saves for a brutally terrible Pirate team.
Once in Atlanta, Rodriguez jumped at the opportunity to play for a contender. The Braves bullpen had been one of the many reasons for the team’s underachieving. Will Smith, Chris Martin and A.J. Minter had all underperformed. Only Luke Jackson had been reliable all year, and he needed help.
Rodriguez was to be that stabilizing force. In August, he pitched 12 innings with a microscopic 1.50 ERA. He faced 47 batters; only 10 reached base safely. Sure, he had a 4.42 FIP, but Rodriguez is the type of pitcher that prefers the ball in play by inducing weak flyouts with his high spin-rate fastballs.
With Tyler Matzek, Jackson, Rodriguez, and Smith all available in the final few innings, the bullpen wasn’t giving Braves Country any heart attacks.
The Postseason
Both Swanson and Rodriguez regressed in September. While the Braves still won their fair share of games in that month, they were certainly less dominate. Swanson had an embarrassing .580 OPS over the final month, and Rodriguez had a 3.97 ERA and abysmal 8.73 FIP.
This makes it clear that these two players are required for Braves’ postseason success. We know that Riley, Freeman and Ozzie Albies will mash. Charlie Morton, Max Fried and Ian Anderson will shove on the mound.
When Swanson is hot, the lineup becomes so much deadlier. When Rodriguez is shutdown, the bullpen will completely stifle offensives.
If these two figure it out, expect to see the Braves in the World Series.
You must log in to post a comment.