Braves’ offense shows up

Atlanta’s bats have looked alive again this week, with Austin Riley ending his early homer drought and Michael Harris II adding another long ball as the Braves climbed to 13-7. (mlb.com) (espn.com) Riley hit his first home run of the 2026 season in a 6-3 win over Miami on April 15, and he finished that night 2-for-4 with a double, a homer and an RBI. (mlb.com) (espn.com) Harris had already shown some lift in his bat before the Marlins series, hitting a two-run homer on Opening Day against Kansas City and another in Atlanta’s 11-5 win over Cleveland on April 10. (mlb.com 1) (mlb.com 2) The timing matters for a Braves lineup that spent the first two weeks waiting on some of its biggest names to start driving the ball. Riley carried a.229 average and one homer through April 15, a slow start by his standards after a 19-homer 2025 season shortened to 110 games. (espn.com) (mlb.com) Harris’ swing has mattered just as much because Atlanta has leaned on him in center field and near the bottom half of the order while trying to keep pressure on National League East rivals. The Braves entered April 18 in first place at 13-7 after wins over Miami on April 14 and April 15 and a 9-0 rout of Philadelphia on April 17. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) (espn.com 3) His recent homer also came days after the Braves put him on the paternity list on April 11 and reinstated him on April 13. Atlanta announced the move before the Cleveland series finale, and local coverage said Harris returned as a new father. (sports.yahoo.com) (sportingnews.com) Atlanta’s offense has not depended on one hitter this month. The club got three homers on Opening Day, then another three in the April 10 win over Cleveland, when Matt Olson, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Harris all went deep. (mlb.com 1) (mlb.com 2) That is the version of the Braves the club has been waiting for: Riley driving balls to right-center, Harris turning on mistakes, and Atlanta opening a road series in Philadelphia with a 9-0 win. The next test comes April 18, when the Braves send Chris Sale against Cristopher Sánchez looking for a fourth straight win. (mlb.com) (espn.com)