After HRs in back-to-back games, is breakout on for Olson?

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

NEW YORK -- After hitting an opposite-field homer in Saturday’s 4-0 win over the Mets, Braves first baseman Matt Olson was asked if it’s always a good sign when he starts driving the ball the other way.

“Yeah, hopefully,” Olson said with a slight smile.

Olson was able to smile yet again on Sunday, when he hit a three-run homer that propelled Atlanta to a 9-2 win over New York. This marked the first time Olson has homered in consecutive games this year. He did so 12 times during his 54-homer season last year.

“I’m still going to be working to have consistent at-bats every time,” Olson said. “But seeing results is good.”

Nobody needs to update Olson on the humbling nature of his oft-cruel profession. The left-handed slugger set franchise records in 2023 for home runs (54) and RBIs (139) in a single season. He is one of 12 players in MLB history to reach those totals in the same campaign. Before last year, the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez (2007) and the Phillies' Ryan Howard ('06) were the two most recent players to do so.

But this year has been a constant struggle for Olson, who has hit .227 with 15 homers and a .705 OPS in 104 games. He seemed to right himself when he hit .360 with four homers and a 1.063 OPS during a 20-game stretch from May 26-June 16. But he has produced a .491 OPS in the 35 games that have followed.

“He works harder than anybody I’ve seen on the swing,” Braves third baseman Austin Riley said. “He’s always doing homework, studying to get better. It’s not a lack of effort. So to see homers on back-to-back days was great.”

If the past two days were an indication that Olson is ready to break out, then the timing is perfect. Former Braves broadcaster Chip Caray might have said, “If they can get Matt going, that would be like making a midseason trade acquisition.”

Olson providing his expected production over the season’s final two months would almost certainly trump whatever upgrades the Braves make before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.

“Every day is a new day. That’s the beauty of this game,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “The sun is going to come up and there’s a chance you’re going to start something really good that day.”