Several Braves stars beginning to find their footing

Entering Friday night’s series opener against the Phillies, the Braves sat at 12–7, three games clear of the second-place Marlins and Nationals. But they didn’t get there quite how anyone expected.

The starting rotation has been the best in baseball — yes, the best in baseball — after not one, not two, but three key arms went down with significant injuries in Spring Training. And offensively, much of the production has come from a couple of new faces that made most fans shrug when they were acquired. Dominic Smith has arguably been the MVP of the first three weeks, and right behind him is Mauricio Dubón, who has filled in brilliantly at shortstop both offensively and defensively.

Several of those trends continued in Friday’s 9–0 thrashing of the Phillies. Veteran Martin Pérez spun six shutout innings just days after being designated for assignment, and Dominic Smith launched his fourth home run of the season, pushing his OPS to 1.140.

But if the Braves are going to get where they ultimately want to go, the stars are going to have to start playing like stars. To this point, Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson have carried much of the load at the top of the lineup, but it looks like Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II — and perhaps most importantly, Austin Riley — are starting to find their rhythm.

Riley entered Wednesday’s game without a home run and carrying a .645 OPS. In just two games, he’s raised that number by nearly 100 points, launching his first three homers of the season.

Harris is heating up as well, recording seven hits over his last five games, including a laser over the right-field fence for his first home run as a new father. And Acuña? He’s quietly hitting .344 with an OPS north of 1.000 over his last eight games.

The Braves have found a way to win 13 of their first 20 games while battling injuries and getting limited production from several key players. That’s the mark of a championship-caliber team — one capable of absorbing the blows that come with a 162-game grind.