Braves Albies Long-Awaited Tear, Hitting Streak Coming At Ideal Time

The Atlanta Braves are finally getting the Ozzie Albies we’ve all come to know over the last few years. He’s on an 11-game hitting streak, batting .366 with four doubles, four multi-hit games and four RBIs during this span. 

His best game yet came in the 5-3 loss to the San Diego Padres on Sunday. He went 2-for-2 with two doubles, an RBI and a walk. 

“I felt like that coming off the road trip,” manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s starting to get on a run here.” 

Snitker knows the impact Albies could make if he can keep this up. 

“That would be huge if we can get him going consistently like he has over the last few years.” 

A good run from Albies has been coming for a long time. He had a slow season last year before going down with a wrist injury. He came back before he was even fully healthy - unable to bat left-handed - in an effort to get his bat back in the lineup. 

He had an encouraging stretch in mid-April but then went on a 15-game cold streak where he batted .150 streak with a .400 OPS. 

This strong performance at the plate comes at an opportune time. They head to Philadelphia for a three-game series against the Phillies. The Braves sit eight and a half games back from first place in the National League East, giving them a chance to get back into the race if they can have a good weekend. 

The Phillies have also been a tear lately, winning 10 of their last 12 and pulling two games ahead of the New York Mets for the lead in the division. The Braves follow up their series with a streak of games where they play the Boston Red Sox and the San Francisco Giants.

Having one of the All-Stars looking like one again will help them correct course against some tougher opponents - regardless of how previous series have gone. The Braves just had an instance where they took three of four against the Nationals in Atlanta before being swept in a rain-shortened two-game series. 

Later in June, they’ll see the Phillies again and the Mets seven times. Albies finding that consistency could make or break division implications before the midway point in the season. It could potentially determine postseason implications too. The Braves had a tiebreaker over the Mets for the second Wild Card last season. These games now can either come back to bite them or bail them out later on. 

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