The Atlanta Braves sweep over the Minnesota Twins had it’s standouts. Alex Verdugo provided some spark to the top of the lineup. Michael Harris II had his heroic moments. All deserve their credit, but there is one unsung hero from the weekend, first baseman Matt Olson.
He finished the series going 4-for-9 with a home run, four RBIs and a double. That double was nearly a home run but the screaming shot went just off the top of the wall.
Three of his four hits drove in runs in the series, each being a turning point in the game. On Saturday against the Twins, the aforementioned double tied the game and an RBI single in his next at-bat gave the Braves a 2-1 lead. His two-run home run on Sunday opened scoring and set the tone for the rest of the game.
A big weekend had been brewing underneath the surface. In the series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays the week prior, Olson went 1-for-4 but had to hard-hit balls. One was a long single that was nearly a home run and another potential extra-base hit was robbed on a running play.
“Didn’t roll them over to the right side, so that’s a positive,” Olson said after that game. “Just keep building off it.”
In the 8-4 over the Toronto Blue Jays, Olson saw the ball well, drawing two walks. One of his outs was a lineout that came off the bat at 102.1 mile per hour.
Then, the ball started to find a spot where the fielders weren’t. Olson now finds himself on a five-game hitting streak with two home runs and an extra-base hit. This has been said about a few Braves hitters over the last few games, but when they stick to an approach and they keep hitting the ball hard, things are going to start going their way.
Durin his hitting streak, he’s batting .375 with a 1.313 OPS.
Olson has risen his batting average from .193 to .233 and his slugging percentage from .298 to .411 in that span. His OPS is up 150 points.
“I’ve said for a while his bats have been better,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I see him getting where he wants to go too. He’s making strides. He’ll be fine. We know what he can do when he startings feeling like himself too.”
An important not for this success is that he’s seeing fastball better this season. His hard hit percentage against fastballs is up from 54% to 71%. His strikeout rate on fastballs are down to 14% from 22%. His exit velocity on fastball is up and his walk rate on fastballs is up from 10% to 22%. That’ll improve his trips to the plate in a hurry.
Thanks to the sweep, the Braves are now 8-6 since their 0-7 start. Part of that turnaround is impart to their All-Star first baseman stringing at-bats together like an All-Star again as of late.
They’re only 6 1/2 games back from first in the National League East and only 4 1/2 games back of a wild card spot. The Braves look out of time, but if their stars are truly turning the corner, they might have gotten some of that time back.
