Takeaways: Atlanta takes down the Tampa Bay Rays

The Atlanta Braves won their 11th straight series Saturday night.

Zac Blackerby | Jul 8, 2023

The Atlanta Braves are showing no signs of slowing down.

After winning the second game of the series against the Tampa Bay Rays Saturday night 6-1, the Braves have the best record in baseball with one game left to go until the All-Star Break.

This is Atlanta's 11th straight series win. The last time the Braves slipped in a series was the surprising road series loss to the Oakland A's that ended on May 31st. Since then, they just keep winning.

Here are some takeaways and thoughts from Saturday night's action.

Spencer Strider was DEALING

Strider found himself in a tricky situation in both the first and sixth innings with multiple runners on base. In both situations, he was able to work out of it to keep any Rays scoring at bay.

He struck out 11 batters and shut down one of the best offenses in all of baseball. He walked just one in his 6.1 innings of work.

Kirby Yates took over to finish the seventh inning.

Sean Murphy keeps the streak alive

After Sean Murphy hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning, it extends the Braves' streak of games with a home run to 25.

Murphy is playing better than any catcher in the MLB currently and will rightfully be given the honor of his first All-Star appearance next week. His presence behind the plate has been outstanding and his bat seems to be getting better over the course of the season.

He leads catchers in home runs with 17. He trails the leaders in total runs by one (42). He also has the best batting average among qualified catchers with a .306 on the season.

Ronald Acuña Jr. is the best player in baseball

Ronald Acuña Jr. is everywhere. He's getting on base, stealing second, making pitchers think more when he's on base, and his teammates are benefitting from it.

According to the television broadcast tonight, the Braves are 41-13 when Acuña scores a run. He was the player of the month in April and June and will be a candidate to keep winning that award every month for the remainder of the season.

What's next?

The final game before the All-Star break will be Sunday afternoon at 12:40 ET. The broadcast will be on Bally Sports). The radio call, with Ben Ingram, is available locally on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan or outside the Atlanta market on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network or MLB.com.

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Published Jul 8, 2023

ZAC BLACKERBY

Zac Blackerby is the publisher of Auburn Daily and Braves Today. He is also the host of Locked On Auburn and the College Channel Manager for the Locked On Podcast Network. Blackerby was previously the program director of the Auburn Network and hosted shows on ESPN 106.7 and WANI. He also used to be the editor for Auburn Wire and Fly War Eagle.