The Atlanta Braves (44-33) are set to begin one of their longest runs of consecutive games during any season when they face the Cincinnati Reds (26-49) to begin a 17 games in 17 days start to the month of July.
Despite falling to the Philadelphia Phillies 14-4 to close out a superb month of June, the Braves finished the month with a 21-6 record, (second best in the majors, Yankees 22-6), which began with the Braves winning 14 straight games.
When asked by Dukes & Bell how this Braves team turn things around in June, Audacy MLB Insider Tony Gwynn Jr replied, “It was only a matter of time before that offense starting clicking.”
The Braves pitching has been strong for most of the season, as they are 11th overall in MLB with a 3.82 team ERA, but the bats were lacking in production until the calendar turned to June.
“This is a dangerous team when they are swinging the bats like they are right now” commented Gwynn Jr. when referring to the offensive power that the Braves have displayed during the last several weeks.
The Braves now rank #4 in MLB in overall batting statistics are second to the Yankees in home runs hit (127-116)
The power surge that helped the Braves record the 21 wins in June, (tied for best in team history) also helped the Braves make up seven games in the standings to the NY Mets over the same span.
The Braves began June, 10.5 games behind the Mets in the NL East, but enter July only 3.5 games out of first place with the two teams scheduled to play a 3-game series in Atlanta, July 11-13.
If the Braves can have a month even close to what they did in June, the Braves could jump into first place by month’s end.
To listen to the entire conversation between Tony Gwynn Jr and Dukes & Bell download the link above.
