TORONTO -- If the Braves are to find their rhythm, they¡¯ll need their trusted conductors.
That¡¯s what made Monday night¡¯s 8-4 win over the Blue Jays so encouraging. Behind Austin Riley¡¯s two-homer, five-RBI game, Atlanta found its spark, something to build on after a couple of weeks of scattered flashes.
It was another sign of a slugger returning to form, helping his offense retrieve its identity.
¡°It¡¯s what I¡¯m there to do, drive in runs and do damage,¡± Riley said. ¡°Tonight was one of those nights where it felt like I was [doing] what I¡¯m supposed to do. It felt good.¡±
He¡¯s been feeling good for a while now.
After opening the season with a .111 average and a .431 OPS in his first seven games, Riley found his footing and hasn¡¯t looked back. Since the Braves¡¯ 10-0 win over the Marlins in the home opener, the 28-year-old Riley has hit .410 with a 1.157 OPS, including seven multihit games over nine contests.
The turnaround came after Atlanta¡¯s three losses to the Dodgers in Los Angeles, when Riley went as far as qualifying his early performance as ¡°embarrassing¡± and vowed to make adjustments at the plate.
Now he¡¯s back to doing what he was meant to. No one in that clubhouse doubted he would.
¡°All these guys are probably their own worst enemy and harshest critic,¡± manager Brian Snitker said. ¡°They expect a lot out of themselves because they¡¯re really good players. So it¡¯s good that when their head hits the pillow, they do that with a good feeling tonight and confidence in what¡¯s going to happen tomorrow.¡±
The reasons for confidence go beyond Riley, who was the main catalyst of a solid night from the whole lineup.
Sean Murphy was the one to get it started, adding to his scorching return from the injured list with a two-run homer in the first inning. Ozzie Albies then hit an RBI double that scored Nick Allen to start a four-run fifth inning that was capped by Riley¡¯s three-run blast.
Both of Riley¡¯s homers came on a first pitch from Blue Jays lefty Easton Lucas, who hadn¡¯t allowed any runs over his first two starts of the season. The approach was pretty simple: Put the ball in the air. First, it was a fastball up in the zone in the third. Then a hanging slider in the fifth. Riley swung with conviction, both times hitting the ball upwards of 110 mph off the bat for a pair of no-doubters.
Most importantly, this time the Braves weren¡¯t left puzzled by their inability to capitalize with runners on base, seemingly set on turning every mistake from Blue Jays pitchers into a productive at-bat. Atlanta needed six hits and four walks to put eight runs on the board, finishing the win 3-for-4 with runners in scoring position behind Riley¡¯s heroics.
For a few days now, Snitker has been stating that this group was due for a turnaround. Monday¡¯s results felt way more normal than the early-season woes.
¡°I definitely think this is us -- what you saw tonight, doing damage, moving guys,¡± Riley said. ¡°I thought Eli [White] had really good at-bats, Nick Allen had some good at-bats. Yeah, I think we¡¯re built to do damage, and this is something that is definitely us.¡±
If those convictions hold true, the Braves may be on the verge of true momentum. Following Grant Holmes¡¯ three-run start over 7 2/3 innings in the series opener, the visitors are set to send Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider -- who is expected to be activated off the IL for his first start this season -- to the mound in the next two games.
Add in some run support to that caliber of starting pitching, and the tide may turn for good.
¡°Anytime you do what we did tonight, hopefully it breeds a little confidence and guys start feeling themselves,¡± Snitker said. ¡°Because it¡¯s going to happen, we¡¯re going to get on a roll.¡±