The Atlanta Braves had another strong showing this past week, securing series wins over both the St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Several key players stepped up. Austin Riley delivered a solid all-around performance with a home run and a clutch defensive stop Saturday. Marcell Ozuna continued to lead MLB in walks, adding eight more to his tally, while Alex Verdugo stayed hot, capping off the week with a four-hit performance on Sunday.
Behind the plate, Sean Murphy launched three home runs as he and Drake Baldwin continued forming a potent catching tandem. Bryce Elder turned in a quality start, and Dylan Lee earned his first career save in Saturday’s extra-inning thriller.
In the bullpen, righty Daysbel Hernández was lights-out. He earned wins in both the series opener and closer against the Cardinals, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings in the latter.
He added another clean eighth-inning outing against Arizona on Saturday, helping the Braves hang on in another nail-biter. Over 3.1 innings for the week, Hernández allowed just one hit, walked three, struck out three, and induced two double plays — showing signs he could be taking over as the Braves’ go-to high-leverage reliever.
The standout of the week, though, was outfielder Eli White, who earned Battery Power Braves Player of the Week honors. White made a strong case for the starting right field job, scoring seven runs, driving in seven more, and hitting two homers — including a clutch go-ahead blast in the eighth inning Wednesday. He also doubled twice, drew four walks, and even scored the winning run Monday as a pinch-runner.
If White keeps swinging a hot bat, he and Verdugo could be the spark the Braves’ outfield has desperately needed early this season.
