ATLANTA — A trio of home runs Thursday night kept things rolling for the Atlanta Braves, who have won five of their past six games after a dismal start to the second half of the season.
First baseman Matt Olson and third baseman Austin Riley went deep in the first inning, shortstop Orlando Arcia added a solo shot in the third, and the Braves beat the Miami Marlins 4-2 to open a four-game series between the National League East Division clubs.
Atlanta won its first game after the midseason break for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 in 10 innings on July 20, then lost six in a row. Things have turned a lot in the six games since then, with the second-place Braves improving to 59-49 and moving within six games of the Philadelphia Phillies (65-43) in the division standings.
The Marlins (40-69) are at the bottom of the NL East, 25 1/2 games out of first place.
“We’re hitting again,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Bullpen continues to be really solid. Starting pitching has been really good. The biggest thing is the runs, putting something together consistently offensively. We’re kind of scratching the surface of doing that.”