Miami Marlins at Atlanta Braves

Remember when the Braves lost 19 of their last 28 games before the All-Star break? How about when they didn’t land a frontline starting pitcher before Monday’s Trade Deadline? While that latter issue might prove problematic in October, there is currently plenty of reason to be excited about the Braves. They claimed a season-high seventh straight win and gained MLB’s second-best record with a 4-1 win over the Marlins on Wednesday night at Truist Park. “We're not surprised,” utility man Mauricio Dubón said. “You're gonna hit some bumps. That's baseball. That's why we play 162.” Austin Riley laced an RBI double and Bryce Elder surrendered one hit and one run over seven innings for the Braves (69-45), who have won 14 of 19 since the break. Atlanta’s .605 winning percentage puts them just ahead of the Dodgers (.600 win pct., 69-46) and only behind the Brewers (.623, 71-43) among all MLB teams. Here are three keys to Atlanta’s turnaround: **1\. Riley’s bounceback** The veteran third baseman still hasn’t gone on one of those tears he regularly enjoyed while producing three consecutive 30-homer seasons from 2021-23. But he also doesn’t look like the guy who entered the break hitting .207 with a .617 OPS. Riley’s RBI double off Eury Pérez in the second inning had a 109.5 mph exit velocity, according to Statcast. He has regularly hit the ball harder over the past few weeks than he did when he produced a 90.5 mph average exit velocity during the season’s first half. Riley entered Wednesday having produced a 95.5 mph average exit velocity since the break.