Braves once again proving to be road warriors
With this week’s sweep of the Marlins in LoanDepot Park, the Braves are sporting a 15-3 record on the road, a continuation of their road dominance last season.
The Braves have posted a winning record on the road every year since 2017. Last year’s 101-win club went 46-35 on the road, and they had a better record on the road than at home in 2021’s regular season before an incredible, 7-1 postseason in Truist Park.
Pitching has been especially sharp on the road, with a team ERA of 2.67 versus a 4.54 at home (all stats entering Friday). The pitching staff has managed to walk just 49 batters while striking out 147 on the road with 8.5 Ks per nine innings. The starters have put together seven quality starts on the road, while the bullpen has held opponents to 15 runs over 53.1 IP.
Max Fried, while his sample size remains short, has continued his masterful work on the road, allowing just one run over 13.1 innings. Spencer Strider has also held opponents to a .155 batting average while owning a rate of 13.8 K/9.
Out of the bullpen, Jesse Chavez is yet to allow a run in away games through eight IP while boasting a .179 opponent batting average, and A.J. Minter has locked down five saves with only one run allowed in eight frames.
Those guys are all proven road warriors, but even the newcomers are playing the part just as well. Bryce Elder has turned in a pair of quality road starts with a 1.47 ERA. Former Ray Nick Anderson has also come out hot out of bullpens away from home, striking out 10 with no walks and allowing two runs on four hits.
While the pitching has been lights out on the road, they have had the luxury of run support coming in bunches. The Braves have scored 108 runs on the road this season, good for six runs a game. They have slugged 35 homers – one in every 17.6 at bats as a team – helping Atlanta climb to second in the MLB with 54 dingers. That, along with 69 extra-base hits, results in a .501 slugging percentage on the road and .848 team OPS.
While the team average sits at .274, the Braves have several guys far exceeding that number. To no surprise, Ronald Acuña Jr. is batting .366 in away games with a .446 OBP from the leadoff spot. He is just one of three Braves with an OBP above .400 on the road and one of five with an average over .300 in those games.
Leading the team with a .453 OBP away from home and also sporting a .300 average is Sean Murphy. Sam Hilliard is third on the team with a .429 road OBP, and Travis D’Arnaud, Ozzie Albies, Kevin Pillar and Orlando Arcia are also batting north of .300 in road contests.
With D’Arnaud on the cusp of a rehab assignment and Arcia beginning to take swings again, there’s reason to think these numbers might get even better towards the end of May.
With a 7-7 record at Truist Park, Atlanta is returning home to host two AL East foes, which might seem like a relief, but the Braves won’t be sweating it too much when they hit the road again to face the Blue Jays and Rangers after taking on the Orioles and Red Sox at home.
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