Braves Stat of the Day: August 2021

MLB.com is keeping track of a Stat of the Day for the Braves this season, highlighting a unique, interesting or fun nugget from each game.

• Braves Stat of the Day, July 2021

Aug. 31: Dodgers 3, Braves 2 -- Braves struggle in LA
The Braves are now 6-18 at Dodger Stadium since the start of the 2013 season. Throw in the postseason and they have lost 22 of the 28 games played at the iconic ballpark within this span.

Aug. 30: Dodgers 5, Braves 3 -- Smyly stung by dingers
Drew Smyly allowed four home runs and stands as the fifth pitcher in franchise history to allow three-plus homers in at least four games during a season. Matt Wisler (2016) and Phil Niekro (1970) are the only Braves to allow at least three homers in five games during a season. The 1979 version of Niekro joins Chuck James (2007), Julio Teheran (2017) and Smyly as those to do so at least four times in a season.

Aug. 29: Braves 9, Giants 0 -- Age is just a (home run) number
With a solo homer on Sunday, Ozzie Albies moved within one of matching his career-high home run total of 24. He is seeking to join Eddie Murray and Mickey Mantle as the only switch-hitters to hit at least 24 homers in three different seasons before turning 25.

Aug. 28: Giants 5, Braves 0 -- Riley on fire
Austin Riley remained one of the game's hottest hitters as he produced a third straight multi-hit performance. Riley has gone 7-for-11 over his past three games and he leads the National League with a .362 batting average since the All-Star break.

Aug. 27: Braves 6, Giants 5 -- Decision streak
Max Fried received a no-decision as he allowed four runs -- three earned -- over six innings. The lefty had gained a decision during each of his previous 16 starts dating to May 12. That was MLB's longest such streak entering this outing. It was also the longest such streak by any Braves pitcher since Kris Medlen had a decision in 19 straight starts during the 2013 season.

Aug. 24: Yankees 5, Braves 4 -- Morton's curveball trouble
Charlie Morton surrendered his first multiple-homer game of the season on Tuesday. Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu both homered against Morton's curveball. According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, this marked the first time in Morton's career he allowed multiple homers in a game against his curveball.

Aug. 23: Yankees 5, Braves 1 -- MLB's first trio to 25-plus homers
Dansby Swanson increased his career-high home run total to 25 with a solo shot in the second inning. With Freddie Freeman (27), Austin Riley (27) and Swanson (25), the Braves became the first MLB team to have three players hit 25-plus homers this year. Atlanta also had three players (Freeman, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Josh Donaldson) hit at least 25 homers in 2019. Ozzie Albies has gone deep 22 times this season, so the Braves could soon have four players tally 25-plus round-trippers for the first time since 2006 (Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, Jeff Francoeur and Adam LaRoche).

Aug. 22: Braves 3, Orioles 1 -- Road trip sweep
With their ninth straight win on Sunday, the Braves swept a three-city road trip, defeating the Nationals, Marlins and Orioles in nine games. The last time the club went undefeated on the road (in least three cities) was in 1992, when the team went 10-0 from July 9-22 in Chicago (4-0), Houston (4-0) and St. Louis (2-0), according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Aug. 21: Braves 5, Orioles 4 -- Let's hit two
In the fourth inning, Joc Pederson knocked a 415-foot homer over the right-center-field wall. An inning later, Austin Riley hit his 27th home run of the season. It marked the 17th consecutive win in games in which the Braves have homered multiple times. That is the longest streak since 2002, when they won 28 straight games in which they hit at least two homers.

Aug. 20: Braves 3, Orioles 0 -- Braves rolling as road warriors
After Friday's victory, the Braves have now won their last 11 road games. The road winning streak ties the single-season franchise record during the Modern Era (since 1900). The club also won 11 straight road games in 1956 from June 17-25, as part of a 21-game road trip.

Aug. 18: Braves 11, Marlins 9 -- Five bases-loaded walks
The Braves drew five bases-loaded walks while claiming a win over the Marlins on Wednesday night. This stands as the most bases-loaded walks the Braves have drawn in a game since at least 1916. The last MLB team to draw at least five bases-loaded walks in a game was the A's against the Astros on Sept. 9, 2017. The Braves have drawn 17 walks with the bases loaded this year. That is one shy of the franchise record set in 2005 and matched in 2010.

Aug. 17: Braves 2, Marlins 0 -- Riley's second-half homers
Austin Riley hit his 26th homer of the season and his 12th since the All-Star break during the win over the Marlins on Tuesday night. Riley's second-half homer total ranks second in the Majors only to the 15 homers the Reds' Joey Votto has hit. Joe Adcock set the Braves' record with the 26 second-half homers he hit in 1956.

Aug. 16: Braves 12, Marlins 2 -- Albies owns lefties
With two of Ozzie Albies' three hits coming against left-handers, he's now hitting .331 with a .989 OPS against southpaws this season. That OPS against lefties easily leads all switch-hitters who have collected at least 75 at-bats against left-handers this season. The Pirates' Bryan Reynolds entered Monday ranked second with a .924 OPS.

Aug. 15: Braves 6, Nationals 5 -- Freeman, Riley homer
Freddie Freeman and Austin Riley hit consecutive homers in the fifth inning on Sunday. This marked just the fourth time this year the Braves had hit back-to-back homers. The other occasions were May 14 (Marcell Ozuna and Ozzie Albies in Milwaukee) and May 21 (Albies/Riley and Riley/Dansby Swanson vs. Pittsburgh). So, Riley has now been involved in three of the four back-to-back sequences powered by the Braves this year.

Aug. 14: Braves 12, Nationals 2 -- Road warriors
With Saturday's win, the Braves are now 7-1 at Nats Park this year. This matches their best season win total in Washington, D.C., since the Nationals came into existence in 2005. The 2013 Atlanta club went 7-2. If the Braves win Sunday's series finale, they will set a new club season record for road wins against the Nationals.

Aug. 13: Braves 4, Nationals 2 -- Albies nearing another rarity
Ozzie Albies hit his 21st homer during Friday's win over the Nationals. Albies now has 31 doubles, 21 homers and 14 stolen bases in 2021. The only Braves to have 30 doubles, 20 homers and 15 stolen bases in a season since 2000 are Andruw Jones (2000), Gary Sheffield (2003), Jason Heyward (2012) and Albies (2019).

Aug. 12: Reds 12, Braves 3 -- Ozzie's franchise record
Ozzie Albies hit his 80th career homer, giving him the Braves' franchise record for home runs by a second baseman. The record was previously held by Dan Uggla, who totaled 79 homers for Atlanta from 2011-14.

Aug. 11: Braves 8, Reds 6 (11 innings) -- Riley joins 20-20 club
Austin Riley collected two doubles in the extra-innings win over Cincinnati -- giving him 23 homers and 21 doubles on the season. He is the first Braves third baseman 24 or younger to collect 20 homers and 20 doubles in a season since Chipper Jones did it in 1995 and '96.

Aug. 10: Braves 3, Reds 2 -- Duvall's home HRs
Adam Duvall hit a two-run homer in the series opener, giving him 18 homers in 223 at-bats at Truist Park. That equates to one homer every 12.39 at-bats. The only players with a better AB/HR ratio (minimum 100 plate appearances) are Bryce Harper (10.64), Josh Donaldson (11.23) and Juan Soto (11.57).

Aug. 8: Braves 5, Nationals 4 -- Duvall keeps raking at Truist
Adam Duvall made another key contribution with his decisive two-run homer in Sunday's win over the Nationals. Duvall has homered twice in nine games played since he was acquired from the Marlins at the Trade Deadline. The veteran outfielder has homered five times in 43 at-bats at Truist Park this year. He hit seven homers in 87 at-bats there last year. In total, he has homered once every 10.8 at-bats in Atlanta since the start of the 2020 season.

Aug. 7: Nationals 3, Braves 2 -- Soler power on full display
Jorge Soler extended his recent power surge when he homered in the first inning of Saturday's loss to the Nationals. Soler has hit .360 with three homers and a 1.187 OPS in seven games since being acquired from the Royals at the Trade Deadline. He also has seven homers in 43 at-bats going back to July 24. Before that, Soler had nine homers in 287 at-bats.

Aug. 6: Braves 8, Nationals 4 -- Fried flashes bench bat
Max Fried came off the bench and smacked a ground-rule double in the sixth inning of Friday's win over the Nationals. Fried is 3-for-5 as a pinch-hitter in his career, and he now stands with Jim Tobin (1944) and Max Macon (1944) as one of three Braves pitchers to record multiple pinch-hits in a season. Fried has accounted for three of the four pinch-hits recorded by Braves pitchers during this century. The other was notched by Jo-Jo Reyes in 2007.

Aug. 5: Braves 8, Cardinals 4 -- Riley's surge
Austin Riley hit a game-tying homer in the eighth inning to extend a recent hot stretch. Riley has produced a 1.161 OPS over 24 games going back to July 7. The only Major Leaguers with a higher OPS during this span are AJ Pollock (1.252) and Juan Soto (1.199).

Aug. 4: Braves 7, Cardinals 4 -- Success vs. southpaws
By winning games started by Jon Lester and J.A. Happ, the Braves improved to 14-12 in games facing a left-handed starter. They lost six of their first eight games against southpaws this year but have won 12 of their past 18. They'll get another lefty when the Cardinals send Wade LeBlanc to the mound on Thursday.

Aug. 3: Braves 6, Cardinals 1 -- Starters in rare, stingy company
The Braves' starting staff extended its string of success as Max Fried tossed six scoreless innings. Atlanta ranks third in the Majors with a 3.30 starters ERA over its last 42 games (dating to June 17). The only clubs with a better mark in that span are the Brewers (2.91) and Dodgers (3.11).

Aug. 1: Brewers 2, Braves 1 -- Atlanta stingy, still stung
Atlanta's loss marked its first while allowing three or fewer baserunners since a 1-0 defeat to the Marlins on Oct. 2, 1999. The Brewers’ most recent win when producing three baserunners or fewer had been a 1-0 victory over Cleveland on Aug. 31, 1978.