Ozzie Albies is Heating Up as Braves Beat Phillies 5-1

Atlanta Braves shortstop Ozzie Albies has been hot the last two weeks, and he clubbed another dinger on Saturday against the Phillies.

Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies hits a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Braves pick up a much-need 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday to tie their series at one game apiece. 

Ozzie Albies led the way going 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and three total RBI all coming against one of the top starters in the league, Ranger Suarez. The win for Atlanta could be significant in more ways than one as Suarez is likely Chris Sale's No. 1 competition for the starting pitching assignment in the All-Star Game and possibly NL Cy Young.

Back-to-back nights with a HR for Ozzie Albies 💪 pic.twitter.com/rcMvC5ntx5

— MLB (@MLB) July 7, 2024

Albies might finally be breaking out of his long slump. After a strong showing offensively in the first month of the season (.333 average, .903 OPS), the three-time all-star stagnated like most of his teammates. From May 1 to June 26, he batted just .216 with four home runs and 20 RBIs. 

Albies is on a nine-game hitting streak including three straight multi-hit games. During his hitting streak, Albies is batting .388 with an OPS of 1.044 with two home runs and five RBIs. 

His batting average has bumped up from .251 to .266. Still a ways off from where he was at the end of April, but a significant upward trajectory is a step in the right direction. 

Look, these recent offensive surges haven’t shown up in the win column yet. But as everyone is starting to get it together and remain consistent, everything will start to fall into place. 

Even if the Braves go out and acquire another bat at the deadline, that new bat will still be only one of nine in the lineup. The others still need to step up. Forget deep playoff runs for a moment, if this team just wants to snap that abysmal 28-game losing streak in games where they give up four runs or more, they need the current guys to step up.

The addition of some timely hitting by Albies could do the trick. The Braves have been unlucky so far during Albies’s hitting streak, but the return of his timely hitting will inevitably help them break through. 

The Braves wrap up their series with the Phillies on Sunday and look to win their second series against their National League East rival this season. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m. EST with Reynaldo López set to take the hill for Atlanta.