Atlanta Braves: Three takeaways from the extra-innings loss to Arizona

Brian McCann’s return from the injured list gives the Braves an immediate boost.

The Braves’ veteran catcher knows how to make an introduction.

In his return to Atlanta as a Brave on the April 1st home opener, he drove in two runs with an RBI single in his first at-bat.

Tonight, in his first at-bat after being sidelined on the injured list for the last ten days with a hamstring strain, “B-Mac” smacked a double to deep right-center to drive in a couple of runs and give Atlanta an early lead.

Sure, it’s a very small sample size, but McCann’s early return to Atlanta has seen favorable results.

The grizzled backstop has put together a .286 BA and a .421 OBP in his first 19 plate-appearances of his 2019 homecoming, while his experience behind the plate also builds a strong rapport with the starting pitchers, as it did with Kevin Gausman on Wednesday.

Why It Matters

The Braves know what they’re going to get from the top and meat of the order.

Ozzie Albies is a dynamic weapon at leadoff, while the 2-3-4 of Josh Donaldson–Freddie Freeman–Ronald Acuna is as dangerous as you’ll find anywhere in baseball.

For that matter, Renaissance-Man Nick Markakis and the New-And-Improved Dansby Swanson give Atlanta a very strong middle of the order.

However, for the Braves to maintain the lineup depth necessary to compete with the best of the best in the National League, they need that steady presence from the bottom, which McCann certainly provides with his disciplined, high-OBP approach.

For the last couple of seasons, Atlanta has benefited from a very strong catcher platoon of Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki.

While Suzuki is now gone, Brian McCann is proving early he can carry on the Braves’ tag-team production from the catcher spot.