Hopefully this will be the moment we look back on as the point where the Braves began their grand turnaround in 2025.
Joy of joys, we finally get to talk about a series win around here. For the first time in nearly a month, the Atlanta Braves came away from a series with the upper hand rather than having to be in a position to where they’d have to bounce back. Indeed, the Braves sandwiched a rough game on Tuesday with two of some of their best performances of the season so far. Those two games in particular served as a reminder of what this team is capable of whenever they’re clicking and firing on all cylinders.
It was especially encouraging to see given that the Brewers are one of the better teams in the National League right now. While Milwaukee isn’t in possession of a Postseason spot at the moment, that’s likely due to quality that exists at the top of the NL rather than this being a reflection of underperformance across the NL. Still, the Brewers have been doing fine and the Braves being able to go into Milwaukee to take a series there was a true sight for sore eyes. If the Braves are going to turn their season around, there have to be plenty more of these but if anybody’s got the talent to do it, it’s this bunch. Let’s talk about the series, now.
Monday, June 9
Braves 7, Brewers 1
The Braves went into this game absolutely limping. They had lost seven straight games, with the last four of those losses being of the one-run variety and three of those four losses being absolutely agonizing to witness. Well, there wasn’t anything agonizing about this one, as the Braves put together a solid performance with the centerpiece being Chris Sale’s excellent outing. Sale finished with seven innings under his belt where he only gave up one run on five hits and two walks.
He also added 11 strikeouts to boot, making this two straight starts where he’s reached double figures in strikes. Also, don’t look now but heading into Thursday’s action, Chris Sale is currently in a four-way tie for being in the top-10 for fWAR among qualified starters. I’d say he’s found his groove!
At the plate, this was a true team effort as seven of the 10 Braves players who stepped in the batter’s box for this one came away with hits. Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson homered, while Olson, Marcell Ozuna and pinch-hitter Eli White each came away with a pair of RBIs. Everything clicked for Atlanta in this one — long may it continue.
Tuesday, June 10
Brewers 4, Braves 1
It didn’t continue into Tuesday night, at least. Ronald Acuña Jr. and Sean Murphy both had multi-hit games but they were the only ones who had consistent success. One of Acuña’s three hits on the night was an RBI single that brought the Braves to within one run of Milwaukee.
Jackson Chourio’s third-inning home run off of Grant Holmes put the Brewers out in front to break the initial deadlock and then Jake Bauers added another solo shot in the sixth inning in order to give the Brewers some breathing room. Holmes went six innings and only gave up two runs but it wasn’t enough as Quinn Priester and Milwaukee’s bullpen kept the Braves from doing much damage to the scoreboard. It wasn’t an awful performance by any means but it was still one of those efforts that only added to the general sense of frustration that’s been surrounding the Braves lately.
Wednesday, June 11
Braves 6, Brewers 2
The long ball played a role in this one early on, as both teams had homered by the time the second inning was over. Michael Harris II got things going when he deposited a two-run dinger over the fence to get the Braves out in front early. Drake Baldwin marked his return to his home state by poking one out to left for an RBI single to push Atlanta to a three-run lead.
Rhys Hoskins responded by hitting a home run to lead off the second inning. I truly hope that Brewers fans enjoyed watching that one leave because that was as good as it got for them while Spencer Schwellenbach was out there. In fact, Schwellenbach decided that he enjoyed pitching at the baseball stadium formerly known as Miller Park so much that he’d stay out there for all nine innings.
Schwellenbach’s only blemishes on the day were the aforementioned Hoskins homer and an RBI double from Eric Haase in the eighth inning. Other than that, Milwaukee had nothing to offer Schwellenbach on the day, as he finished with nine strikeouts, five hits allowed and no walks. The second brilliant start by a Braves hurler in three days was more than enough to help push Atlanta to their first series in for what feels like ages.
So of course, one series does not make a turnaround but it does at least shift the vibes a little bit. Atlanta was badly in need of something to go their way for even just the course of three games and they finally got it with this series victory in Milwaukee. The standout performers were Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach, as their two dominant starts helped make sure that things stayed nice and quiet inside of the cavernous snakepit that is American Family Field. However, we’ve also got to give a shout-out to Ronald Acuña Jr., who had two three-hit games in this one and also hit a pair of home runs while he was there. He’s now hitting .353/.436/.647 to kick off his season, with six home runs, 11 RBIs and a wRC+ of 199. It would’ve been tough to expect Acuña to hit the ground running after how his previous return from an ACL went but it appears that he’s bucking expectations in a good way this time around.
The series win has to be good for Atlanta’s confidence as a ballclub as well. Again, the Brewers are one of the better teams in the National League (even though they’re not in possession of a Postseason spot at the moment) and this could serve as a bit of a boost for the Braves going forward. They’ve made their way back to .500 before and they’ll have no choice but to do it again if this season is going to be salvaged. With a return home against the Rockies up next, the Braves have a solid opportunity to string together a run of good baseball. Hopefully we’ll see them build on this series and take advantage of a potential oasis within this schedule.