<img alt="Atlanta Braves v New York Yankees" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/v461JeEyUlvusJ34xNDBlhUoGWk=/0x0:3985x2657/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73423354/2158887654.0.jpg">
Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
The Braves captured their third straight series win by taking two of three against the Yankees. The Atlanta Braves got their road trip off to a good start as they finished off a series win with a 3-1 victory against the New York Yankees Sunday. The win moved Atlanta back to 11 games over .500 with a 43-32 record. They remain seven games back of the Phillies in the NL East standings and currently hold a five-game advantage for the first Wild Card. The next stop on the trip will be in St. Louis where they will begin a three-game series against the Cardinals Monday. Before we get there, here are some takeaways from the win over the Yankees.
Interleague Success
Sunday’s win improved the Braves’ record in interleague play to a majors best 22-11 for the season. While the Braves have handled American League opponents this season, they historically have struggled against the Yankees. Atlanta is 21-27 all time against the Yankees since interleague play began in 1997. Somewhat surprisingly, Atlanta is 14-13 at Yankee Stadium since 1997. The series win was their first in the Bronx since 2012.
Lefty combo continues to dominate
Chris Sale set the tone in Friday’s series opener and Max Fried continued his run of dominance Sunday. Sale allowed one hit, one run and struck out eight over five innings in the opener. The one hit and run that he allowed came on a misplay in left field by Adam Duvall. Since allowing eight runs in four innings against the Athletics on June 1, Sale has allowed five runs combined over his last three starts and 19 innings combined. He’s got 25 strikeouts and six walks during that span.
Fried cruised through Sunday’s game before finding trouble in the sixth. With one run in and runners at first and second, Fried got Alex Verdugo to ground into a key inning-ending double play. His final line was excellent as he allowed six hits and one run to go along with four strikeouts in six innings. Fried leads the National League and is second in the majors with a 60.6% ground ball rate.
Home Runs
The Braves homered again in Sunday’s win giving them 19 over their last nine games. They are currently ranked 13th in the majors with 85 for the season. The Orioles lead the majors with 125 homers. The Yankees rank second with 115. Atlanta out homered New York 6-2 in the series.
Jarred Kelenic thriving in the leadoff spot
Jarred Kelenic went 1-for-3 Sunday and drove in two of Atlanta’s three runs on the afternoon. He hit his seventh home run of the season in the third inning to give the Braves an early lead and extend his hitting streak to 10-straight games.
With Ronald Acuña Jr. and Michael Harris sidelined with injuries, Atlanta needed Kelenic to step up and he has delivered. Since moving into the leadoff spot on June 15, Kelenic is 11-for-34 with two doubles and three home runs.
<img alt="Atlanta Braves v New York Yankees" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/v461JeEyUlvusJ34xNDBlhUoGWk=/0x0:3985x2657/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73423354/2158887654.0.jpg">
Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
The Braves captured their third straight series win by taking two of three against the Yankees. The Atlanta Braves got their road trip off to a good start as they finished off a series win with a 3-1 victory against the New York Yankees Sunday. The win moved Atlanta back to 11 games over .500 with a 43-32 record. They remain seven games back of the Phillies in the NL East standings and currently hold a five-game advantage for the first Wild Card. The next stop on the trip will be in St. Louis where they will begin a three-game series against the Cardinals Monday. Before we get there, here are some takeaways from the win over the Yankees.
Interleague Success
Sunday’s win improved the Braves’ record in interleague play to a majors best 22-11 for the season. While the Braves have handled American League opponents this season, they historically have struggled against the Yankees. Atlanta is 21-27 all time against the Yankees since interleague play began in 1997. Somewhat surprisingly, Atlanta is 14-13 at Yankee Stadium since 1997. The series win was their first in the Bronx since 2012.
Lefty combo continues to dominate
Chris Sale set the tone in Friday’s series opener and Max Fried continued his run of dominance Sunday. Sale allowed one hit, one run and struck out eight over five innings in the opener. The one hit and run that he allowed came on a misplay in left field by Adam Duvall. Since allowing eight runs in four innings against the Athletics on June 1, Sale has allowed five runs combined over his last three starts and 19 innings combined. He’s got 25 strikeouts and six walks during that span.
Fried cruised through Sunday’s game before finding trouble in the sixth. With one run in and runners at first and second, Fried got Alex Verdugo to ground into a key inning-ending double play. His final line was excellent as he allowed six hits and one run to go along with four strikeouts in six innings. Fried leads the National League and is second in the majors with a 60.6% ground ball rate.
Home Runs
The Braves homered again in Sunday’s win giving them 19 over their last nine games. They are currently ranked 13th in the majors with 85 for the season. The Orioles lead the majors with 125 homers. The Yankees rank second with 115. Atlanta out homered New York 6-2 in the series.
Jarred Kelenic thriving in the leadoff spot
Jarred Kelenic went 1-for-3 Sunday and drove in two of Atlanta’s three runs on the afternoon. He hit his seventh home run of the season in the third inning to give the Braves an early lead and extend his hitting streak to 10-straight games.
With Ronald Acuña Jr. and Michael Harris sidelined with injuries, Atlanta needed Kelenic to step up and he has delivered. Since moving into the leadoff spot on June 15, Kelenic is 11-for-34 with two doubles and three home runs.
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