Braves Today

Ozuna Closes In On Triple Crown as Braves Drop Sixth Straight

The Atlanta Braves are seeing their playoff chances slip away, but Marcell Ozuna could be closing in on a historic season.

Harrison Smajovits

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna celebrates his 34th home run, one off NL leader Shohei Ohtani.
Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna celebrates his 34th home run, one off NL leader Shohei Ohtani. / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
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The Atlanta Braves fell to the Colorado Rockies 6-5 despite a late comeback to lose their sixth straight. However, it was still a notable night for designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. 

He blasted his 34th home run of the season to briefly tie Shohei Ohtani for first in home runs in the National League. Ohtani homered later in the night to retake the lead with 35, but the race has grown tighter by the game. 

Ozuna leads the National League with 89 RBIs - which leads Ohtani by six. He is fourth in batting average at .298 but is only four points behind first place. Ohtani is leading with a .302 average. 

In most years, Ozuna wouldn’t be anywhere close to the Triple Crown. Last year, Luis Arreaz won the National League batting title with a .354 average - and this was after batting over .400 for over 70 games. Ozuna would have also trailed his teammate and eventual MVP Ronald Acuna Jr, who batted .337. 

The lowest batting average for a Triple Crown season was .316 when Frank Robinson took it home in 1966. That’s about what we normally see on the low end for batting titles over the years. However, there is one example of precedent for a batting title at this low of a batting average. Carl Yastremski batted .301 in 1968 - known as the Year of the Pitcher. 

Ozuna is in the right spot at the right time. 

Braves In Best (and Worst Ballpark) In Effort to Snap Streak

The Braves took full advantage of how the ball travels at Coors Field in Denver. Including Ozuna’s home run, they plated five runs on three home runs and got a major blast out of their recent re-acquisition, Jorge Soler. 

However, Coors giveth for hitters and taketh for pitchers. Grant Holmes allowed five earned runs in five innings pitched. The Rockies took back the lead when AJ Minter gave up an RBI double to Ryan McMahon. 

However, Holmes didn’t agree he was affected by playing at Coors. 

“Curveball didn’t have as much depth,” he said. “I felt they weren’t moving enough to get swing and misses, so I don’t think it played much of a part in it.” 

Even with the solid offensive night and poor performance on the mound, not all Braves batters could say this did enough.

"I had two opportunities to score two runs and didn't get it done,” third baseman Austin Riley said. I didn't help the team win, so it is frustrating for sure."

So, while Ozuna continues to swing the bat well, the team is now below the playoff line and just five games over .500 (60-55). This loss comes again with a favorable schedule. The only reason the Rockies aren’t last in the NL is because the Marlins exist. 

The Braves try once again to correct course when their series continues tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 EDT. 

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Harrison Smajovits

HARRISON SMAJOVITS