ATLANTA -- The Braves cruised past the dreadful Nationals 5-2 Monday night at Truist Park, their ninth consecutive home victory.
Here are five takeaways from Monday:
1. The middle of the Braves’ lineup showed life. Most notably, Matt Olson rejoiced: His brutal skid ended with a fourth-inning double. The first baseman was 0-for-22 before his hit. Olson was hitting 4-for-65 (.062) with a .272 OPS across his last 18 games.
Olson is an All-Star with a tremendous track record, but that was a trying stretch. He had two hits, earning his first multi-hit effort since Aug. 27.
“It’s obviously not been the easiest go for me personally, but this is a crazy game,” Olson said. “Just stay on top of stuff. We’ve been winning some games, and that’s all that matters at the end of the day. Try to get it going in the right direction. A good baby step.”
Olson threw his hands up in relief when he returned to the dugout. His teammates likewise celebrated. “My struggles have been pretty evident, and I’ve been showing a little frustration, which I typically try not to do,” Olson said. “So it’s nice for the guys to give me a little nod and have some fun with me.”
2. Third baseman Austin Riley also had a needed first-inning home run. While Riley has a four-game hitting streak, he’s scuffled in September, hitting .193/.277/.698. This marked Riley’s fifth home run in 16 games this month. He’s three shy of posting a 40-homer season.
Outfielder Eddie Rosario had two hits, including a homer in the seventh. It’s continued a recent encouraging trend for the 2021 National League Championship Series MVP. Rosario was hitting .292/.320/.333 in 10 games this month but had only one extra-base hit (a double).
3. Kyle Wright’s superb season took another step forward. The right-hander earned his 19th win, extending his major-league lead. Wright wasn’t his sharpest, but he protected the Braves’ early lead. He surrendered two runs on eight hits over six innings.
“I’d definitely say I’ve grown pretty extensively over a year,” Wright said. “I pitched well, we got a win, but I just know I could’ve been a lot better. I want to continue to get better. If this is a bad outing, I’ll take it for sure.”
Wright could become the first Braves pitcher to lead the league in wins outright since Russ Ortiz, who had 21 in 2003. Tom Glavine was the last to lead MLB in wins with 21 in 2000. He’s come a long way from the underwhelming prospect who was yo-yoed between the majors and Triple-A.
4. Wright is another example of why patience is required with some players. Not everyone is a Michael Harris or Spencer Strider who bursts onto the scene.
“It’s really cool when you have young players, and you’ve been with them the whole time,” manager Brian Snitker said. “We have a whole bunch of them who came on the scene since I’ve been here. And you watch the maturity, the progression. … It’s a lot of the satisfaction in doing this job.”
5. The Mets (94-55) won in Milwaukee, so they maintained a one-game edge on the Braves (92-55) in the National League East. The Mets have 13 games remaining. The Braves have 15 left. The teams will meet for a three-game series in Atlanta beginning Sept. 30.
