'I'm pushing for him': Olson closing in on Braves' HR record

ATLANTA -- About 30 minutes before Matt Olson took another step toward breaking the Braves’ season record for home runs, Andruw Jones said he predicted the first baseman would be the one who would erase the mark Jones set in 2005.

“When we got Matt Olson, I told a buddy of mine, ‘I think this is the guy who is going to hit 50 home runs,” Jones said. “The first year he hit [34] and came up short. He’s just got that swing. I’m pushing for him and hopefully, he can break it.”

Olson moved within three of Jones’ record when he hit his MLB-leading 48th homer in an 8-4 loss to the Pirates on Saturday night at Truist Park. The seventh-inning solo shot accounted for one of the few highlights for the Braves, who used Dylan Dodd as their starting pitcher to help set their rotation for a four-game series that begins Monday in Philadelphia.

The Braves remain a win away from becoming the first team to clinch a postseason berth this year. Here’s a look at where they stand with 21 games remaining:

• Games remaining: vs. PIT (1), at PHI (4), at MIA (3), vs. PHI (3), at WSH (4), vs. CHC (3), vs. WSH (3)
• Standings update: The Braves lead the second-place Phillies by 14 games in the National League East race. Atlanta is currently the top NL division winner, meaning it would receive a first-round bye and face the winner of the No. 4 and No. 5 Wild Card teams in a five-game NL Division Series starting on Oct. 7.
• Magic number for postseason berth: 1; Magic number for division title: 8

Olson has homered in five of his past six games and now has four more homers than Shohei Ohtani, who ranks second in MLB with 44. Olson’s 48 homers are also the second-highest total in franchise history. Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews and Jones had previously been the only Braves to hit at least 47.

Along with homering, Olson scored Ronald Acuña Jr. with a third-inning single. He also leads the Majors with 118 RBIs. Olson is on pace for 135 RBIs, a figure no player has reached since 2013, when Chris Davis (138) and Miguel Cabrera (137) both surpassed the mark.

“What a great year,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He just stays the course. It’s been fun to watch and be a part of it.”

Leading the Majors in homers and RBIs might seemingly make a player the NL MVP favorite. But among the top candidates, Olson sits behind Mookie Betts and Acuña, who added a pair of hits and a stolen base to his incredible stat line.

Acuña now ranks second in the NL with a 1.003 OPS, 0.017 behind Betts’ mark. The only other NL players with an OPS above .910 are Freddie Freeman (.986) and Olson (.984).

The first baseman was hitting .228 with 18 homers, an .830 OPS, a 29.9 percent strikeout rate and a 14.4 at-bats per home run ratio through June 14.

In 73 games since then, he has hit .320 with 30 homers, a 1.130 OPS, a 18.8 percent strikeout rate and a 9.2 at-bats per home run ratio. He has hit six more homers and driven in five more runs than any other Major Leaguer within that span. His OPS has been trumped only by Ohtani (1.153) and Betts (1.141).

Olson has proven Jones right while moving closer to that home run record. But, while constructing one of the greatest seasons in Braves history, he has also proven to be much more than just a home run hitter.