While Brewers fans didn’t seem to like Marcell Ozuna’s selfie celebration, the Braves are hoping to see the veteran slugger do a whole lot more posing over the next couple months.  

Ozuna had some fun as he and Ozzie Albies hit back-to-back homers to support an effective Drew Smyly and help the Braves snap a three-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over the Brewers on Friday night at American Family Field. 

“It’s been hard for me since the season started to feel like I did last year,” Ozuna said. “I started slow and then I’m getting stronger.”

Smyly surrendered one run over six innings and received an early lead via Austin Riley’s two-run single off Brewers starter Adrian Houser’s leg in the third. But given the multiple leads the bullpen blew this week, the most appreciated runs of the night came via the home runs Ozuna and Albies hit within the first seven pitches Eric Lauer threw during the fifth.

“We had the ball bouncing for us tonight,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “A lot of those hits we had that produced runs had been hit against us. So, it was good for us to see a few of our guys get those tonight.”

After Ozuna and Albies became the first Braves to hit back-to-back homers this year, Freddie Freeman doubled and scored on Dansby Swanson’s safety squeeze bunt. The resulting four-run advantage proved to be more than enough for the Braves, who were outscored 10-0 in the seventh inning or later while being swept by the Blue Jays this week.  

Josh Tomlin surrendered two homers in this ninth inning. But Will Smith, who had allowed hits to five of the six batters faced on Thursday, stopped the bleeding by recording the game’s final two outs. 

“Those extra runs are huge,” Snitker said. “Make a productive out. With the infield back and a runner at third, just ground out. Bases loaded, just knock the guy in from third, not all of them.”  

With this week’s news that Mike Soroka will undergo exploratory surgery on his right Achilles tendon, there’s an even greater importance placed on Smyly, who has seen his ERA drop from 8.05 to 5.23 ERA over his past two starts. He has allowed just one earned run over the 12 innings completed in these outings against the Nationals and Brewers.

But as much as the Braves need Smyly to provide stability at the back end of their rotation, they have an even greater need for Ozuna to once again become an imposing force. He’s hitting just .218 with a .659 OPS after his two-hit performance in this series opener. But in hitting five home runs within his past 61 at-bats, he’s looked more like the guy who led the Majors in homers last year.

Going back to last year’s Wild Card Series against the Reds, Ozuna has stopped during each of his home run trots to mimic taking a selfie. His decision to do this as he passed in front of the Braves’ third base dugout in this series opener didn’t sit well with Brewers fans who loudly booed him over the remainder of the home run trot and before each of his remaining plate appearances. 

“That’s my thing,” Ozuna said. “Everyone has their own style.”

It was notable that Ozuna and Albies hit their home runs against a southpaw. Both had great success against them in the past, but have struggled this year.

Albies is now hitting .194 (6-for-31) with three homers against left-handers. The switch-hitting second baseman entered Friday with an impressive .925 career OPS from the right side of the plate.

As for Ozuna, he hit .356 with an eye-opening 1.330 OPS against lefties last year. He has hit .184 (7-for-38) with a .620 OPS against them this year. But his past two homers have been hit against southpaws.

“He’s going to get rolling at some point in time and it’s going to be fun to watch,” Snitker said.