May is the Atlanta Braves best month. They’re 16-11 as I write this, in spite of their offensive statistics trending down. The Braves last finished a month five games over 500 in May 2018.
In April the Atlanta Braves won 14 games and lost twelve while outscoring their opponents 137 to 121. In May, the Braves offense started well and finished poorly, being outscored 126 to 130, yet won two more games (16-12).
Three factors and four players are the primary reasons for the turnaround, despite the late stumble.
Starting pitchers Mike Soroka and Max Fried stabilized the rotation, Luke Jackson stepped into the closer role on April 28 and in eight save situations this month, “Sliderman” threw 10-1/3 innings with a 1.74 ERA, striking out 15, walking two, and recording six saves.
The fourth player’s name isn’t a mystery: it’s Austin Riley.
Since arriving on May 15, Riley’s been nothing short of spectacular at the plate.
In 15 games, he’s hit 7 home runs, 2 doubles, driven in 20 runs and posted a .356/.397/.746/1.143 line, striking out 21 times and walking twice. Three of his homers came when the Braves trailed, one put the Braves ahead, and another tied the game.
His home runs in San Francisco are impressive not only because of their timing but also because of where they were hit. The Giants home park boasts a park factor for home runs of 86, making it the most difficult place to hit a homer in the Major League.
With the exception of Riley and Culberson, the rest of the offense, came back to the pack a bit in May.
This hot-and-not edition compares statistics from March/April to those in May: the statistics used are through May 28 without Wednesday’s debacle.