Although the Atlanta Braves own the worst record in the National League at 25-48, they have been playing better of late, winning seven of their last nine games, including a sweep of the Mets in Queens.
The offense has been hot, averaging 4.9 runs per game over the nine game span. Freddie Freeman has led the assault, hitting .436 (17-for-39) with two home runs, four doubles and six RBIs over his last nine games. Freeman would be named NL Player of the Week for the week ending Jun. 19, after hitting .548 with three homers, two four-hit games and adding in the cycle. He has raised his batting average to .275, a 33 point raise since Jun. 12. Right fielder Nick Markakis has also begun to heat up, posting a .324 average with four doubles and five RBIs over his last nine games. If they can keep these two hot at the same time, the run scoring should continue to improve.
Pitching has been an ailment of the Braves this year, but they have had more consistency of late. Julio Teheran has found his old self, pitching to an ERA of 2.66 this season. In his last seven starts, Teheran is 3-3 with a 2.17 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP. The 25-year-old dazzled in his last start, throwing a complete-game, one-hit shutout against the Mets on Jun. 19. Matt Wisler, after struggling in his first two starts in June, has settled in, posting back-to-back starts of 6 2/3 innings and three or fewer earned runs. Teheran and Wisler will need to continue to be consistent for the Braves to be able to stay in ball games.
What to watch for
The Braves have two more games with the Mets this weekend, followed by home series with the Indians and the Marlins. They will then travel to Fort Bragg in North Carolina on Jul. 3 to finish their series with the Marlins. The game at Fort Bragg will be the first regular season game in sports to be played at an active military base. After Jul. 2, the Braves will not be back until after the All-Star Break when they play a weekend series with the Rockies beginning on Jul. 15.
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