Braves, Ozzie Albies starting off June the right way

The Braves have started June the same way they’ve played all season — mashing the ball and preventing runs — taking two straight from the Blue Jays.

On Wednesday it was a pair of three-run homers that did the damage. Mauricio Dubon lifted one over the right-center field wall to give the Braves a 4-2 lead, and Ozzie Albies put the game away with a laser over the visiting bullpen.

It was Albies’ second hit of the night, giving him back-to-back multi-hit games to open the month — a welcome development after a rough May in which he hit just .218 with a .594 OPS. The home run was his 10th of the season, and he now sits at .283 with a .791 OPS and 2.3 WAR. A fourth All-Star appearance is well within reach.

On the mound, Holmes didn’t make it easy on himself, loading the bases with nobody out in the first inning — but he limited the damage and went on to complete six innings while allowing just two runs. More than enough to earn the win.

Dylan Lee and Robert Suarez followed with scoreless innings — surprise, surprise. Lee’s ERA is now down to 1.26, outdone only by Suarez, who is sitting at 0.65. Getting relievers into the All-Star Game is always a numbers game, but these two have been among the best in baseball all season, recognized or not.

Injury News

Before the game, Drake Baldwin told the media he has begun baseball activities but has not yet been cleared to swing. Weiss said earlier in the week he could be back in a couple of weeks, but nobody appears to be in a hurry to rush him back from the oblique injury.

Weiss also had an update on AJ Smith-Shawver, who is now throwing high-intensity bullpens and will soon face live batters — the final step before a rehab assignment. Before long, both he and Waldrep should be featured on the farm as the Braves look to add two more high-powered arms to an already formidable pitching staff.