Braves' powerful lineup makes impressive MLB history
The Atlanta Braves are front-running atop the MLB standings, and their lineup's formidable power is a big reason why.
The power surge continued for the Braves on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, helping them set an impressive MLB mark. With a long ball off the bat of catcher Sean Murphy in the fourth inning, the Braves surpassed the 2019 Minnesota Twins for the most home runs (167) by a team ahead of the All-Star break, per ESPN Stats and Info.
For Murphy, he's having a career year in the home run department in his first season behind the dish for the Braves. Murphy's shot on Friday was his 16th of the season, only two away from his career high (18), set last season with the Oakland A's.
As a team, the Braves have seven players with 10 or more home runs, including Eddie Rosario (14), Austin Riley (16), Murphy, Marcel Ozuna (17), Ronald Acuna Jr. (21), Ozzie Albies (22) and Matt Olson (29). Meanwhile, several players like Travis d'Arnaud (7), Orlando Aria (7) and Michael Harris II (9) are on the cusp of breaking double digits.
Power isn't everything, and the Braves have proved they're more than that at the plate, leading the NL in hits (809), RBI (470), batting average (.274) and on-base percentage (.342). That, paired with the lowest ERA in the NL too, and the Braves are unsurprisingly in the driver's seat heading toward the Midsummer Classic.
Entering play on Friday, the Braves held the best record in MLB (58-28), leading the NL East by 8.5 games over the second-place Miami Marlins.
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