Summer came early for Austin Riley

The Braves are coming off a disheartening loss on Tuesday to the Toronto Blue Jays. With Spencer Schwellenbach on the bump, it really felt like an opportunity to win back-to-back games for the first time all season. Unfortunately, the second-year starter turned in one of the worst starts of his entire career, failing to make it out of the fifth inning and allowing six runs. The Braves offense, which continues to struggle, never had a chance, but Austin Riley is doing his best Superman impression in an attempt to get this team back to its winning ways.

Atlanta’s third baseman started off the season slow, which actually isn’t unusual for him. Riley generally finds his groove in the summer months. As we always like to say: When the weather starts to heat up, so does Austin Riley.

Fortunately for the Braves, it’s begun a bit earlier this year. Across the first seven games of the season, Riley was batting a putrid .111 with two extra-base hits, one being a home run, good for a .432 OPS. He only drove in one run during that span, and the Braves didn’t win a single game, but he’s been his MVP-caliber self over the last ten contests.

Austin Riley has a .396 average with seven extra-base hits, including four home runs, good for a 1.128 OPS. The Braves are 5-5 across that period, and Riley has driven in 11 of the offense’s 45 total runs.

On the season, the Braves star has a .300 batting average and a 153 OPS+, which is 53% above league average. With Jurickson Profar suspended and Ronald Acuna Jr. on the mend, the club desperately needs its stars to perform, none more so than Austin Riley, who is off to one of the best starts of his career.