Braves Earn Much-Needed Offensive Win to Capture Series in Boston

Good teams win games. But great teams can win in multiple ways.

The Atlanta Braves climbed their way back to .500 with one-run wins on seemingly a nightly basis. Just about all of those games were low-scoring contests.

Over their first 15 games of May, the Braves never scored more than five runs. Yet, they went 9-6 in that stretch.

The Braves finally experienced an offensive outburst this weekend.

It started Saturday, with the Braves jumping out to a 5-0 lead. However, the Atlanta bullpen couldn't hold the lead, giving the team one of its most bitter recent losses, 7-6, in walkoff fashion.

But the Braves offense outdid itself Sunday, posting a season-high 16 hits. Atlanta defeated Boston 10-4, clinching yet another series win.

It was important for the Braves to get back in the win column any way possible after the team's loss in the second game this weekend. Walkoff losses are always tough, but Saturday's was extra difficult because the team squandered a five-run lead.

Sunday started similarly. The Braves lead 3-0 until Rafael Devers hit a grand slam. Devers also recorded the walkoff homer Saturday night.

The Braves, though, scored the final seven runs of the afternoon. Six Atlanta playes had multiple hits, including outfielder Alex Verdugo and third baseman Austin Riley, who each had three.

Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna capped off the win with another home run. Ozuna has now homered in back-to-back games for the first time in a month.

It's easy to overreact to one game in baseball. Often times, it doesn't mean much. Again, Saturday's loss had the potential to send the Braves into a tailspin, but it clearly didn't.

Maybe Sunday was just the law of averages balancing things out for a Braves offense which hadn't posted back-to-back games with six or more runs since April 20 and 21.

But it doesn't feel that way. It feels like the Braves offense is finally ready to reach another level.

It won't take long to find out. The Braves head to Washington for a series against the Nationals starting Tuesday.

The Nationals just held the Braves to 18 runs in four games last week. More Atlanta run scoring than that in Washington will be a clear indication of the Braves offense turning the corner.