If this had been the type of season that we both wanted and expected the 2025 Atlanta Braves to have, I’d say that getting on an eight-game winning streak near the end of September would be a very good sign of things to come. Instead, we’re left to wonder where this type of form has been all season? While the Tigers have certainly been struggling as of late, that hasn’t been the type of thing that this season’s Braves have been known to take advantage of.
However the Braves proceeded to, in fact,
take advantage of the Tigers’ dip in form and potentially play the role of spoiler for a Detroit team that is desperately trying to hold on to their lead in the AL Central. Let’s see how this one played out.
Friday, September 19
Braves 10, Tigers 1
This one was a bit bittersweet. While it’s nice to see the Braves win (or terrible if you’re all in on the MLB Draft Lottery), it was rough seeing old friend Charlie Morton get absolutely lit up out there. Atlanta proceeded to run Morton from the game after only four outs were recorded, as three runs in the first (including a bases loaded walk) and second inning each were enough to chase him from the game and also convince the Tigers to DFA him in the process. Oof. The finishing blow was delivered by Ronald Acuña Jr., whose two-run homer signaled the end of the night for Morton.
Meanwhile, Bryce Elder continued to be the enigma of enigmas as he completely dominated the Tigers while he was on the mound. He only allowed five hits and one walk with the only run he allowed coming on his usual hanger that Spencer Torkelson crushed. Outside of that, Elder proved to be too slippery for the Tigers to handle on this night, as the four runs that Atlanta put on the board across the eighth and ninth innings were simply contributing to the laugher that took place.
Also, don’t look now but after his performance during this game (and across the whole weekend, really), Matt Olson is looking like a lock to have his second season of at least 5.0 fWAR. It may not mean a lot but it’s good to see Olson continuing to put up some great production for the Braves, even in the midst of a down season across the board for the team.
Saturday, September 20
Braves 6, Tigers 5
This was easily Nacho Alvarez Jr.’s best day as a big leaguer, as he ended up playing a massive role in pushing Atlanta into a surprising series victory. Nacho finally collected his first career homer in the fourth inning in order to tie it at one run apiece. He enjoyed the round-tripper so much that he eventually added another dinger in the eighth inning in order to cut the deficit down to one run at 5-4. As if to mark the occasion and put icing on the cake that was all about Alvarez, he then came back to the plate in the ninth inning and came up with a big-time knock in order to plate the game-tying run. Jurickson Profar followed that up with the go-ahead single but at the end of the night, Nacho Alvarez Jr. was the big hero on a career-best day.
Sunday, September 21
Braves 6, Tigers 2
With the Guardians suddenly breathing down their necks, the pressure appears to be getting to the Tigers. It also didn’t help matters that Spencer Strider was once again on his A-game when it came to run prevention. Strider only went five innings but he struck out eight batters while he was out there and also managed to keep the Tigers off of the scoreboard while he was out there. While not as long as either of his starts against the Nationals and Cubs, this still matched the quality of those and served as another strong appearance for Strider.
Strider left the game with a three-run lead after Atlanta scored a run in each inning from the third through the fifth. A Ronald Acuña RBI single, a Ha-Seong Kim homer and a Drake Baldwin RBI triple were the three ways the Braves dealt damage to the Tigers in this one. In fact, Atlanta had actually stretched it out to a six-run lead after a three-run flurry in the top of the ninth that was capped with an RBI from Michael Harris II.
The insurance did make a difference since the Tigers did eventually make things scary after Dylan Dodd was only able to get one run while giving up both runs. Snitker decided to take this seriously by bringing in Raisel Iglesias to close things out and secure the unlikely sweep.
Depending on how you feel about the MLB Draft Lottery, this winning streak could be either a blessing or a bomb. The Braves are now on their longest winning streak of the season and are also 10 games under .500. At the beginning of this month, it sure seemed like the Braves were on their way to losing 90 games and potentially being in line for really good odds at a top-5 draft pick. Instead, the Braves have completely evaded the fate of a 90-game season while also losing what appeared to be a pretty strong foothold on top-5 odds in the Draft Lottery. It remains to be seen what the long-term effect of this winning streak will be — hopefully it’ll be an omen of things to come instead of an adverse outcome down the road.
Either way, it’s still been nice to see this lineup continue to knock the ball around. It’s at least proof of concept that this team’s core is still in fine shape — there just needs to be some additions and fortifications made in key spots going forward. It’s certainly possible for the Braves to get this thing turned around sooner rather than later. Guys like Matt Olson, Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies are too good to stay down for too long and maybe we’ll see further consistency from them going forward. For now, it’s time to enjoy the ride and accept whatever the consequences may be when it comes to the MLB Draft Lottery. We’ll see what happens.
