After a surprising signing, Dominic Smith has hit his way into the Atlanta Braves lineup, pairing production with a low salary for rare value.

Atlanta leads MLB in wins and the NL East by nine games. The offense is tops in many stats, and the pitching leads the majors in ERA. All that and there’s room for improvement

The Braves were 8-5 in a stretch of 13 games in 13 days. Their pitchers still lead MLB in ERA. Their hitters, however, managed only 6 runs in 3 games against the Nationals.

After a poor-hitting series against Washington, Atlanta has a day off Monday before starting a six-game road trip against the Red Sox and Reds.

Grant Holmes had 10 strikeouts, but the Braves' offense was no help in a 2-0 loss to the Nationals on Saturday.

Braves catcher Chadwick Tromp emerges as the unexpected savior in their 5-4 victory over the Nationals on Friday night.

Veteran pitcher Martín Pérez has stepped up for the Braves in whatever role he has been called upon by manager Walt Weiss. He has 6 starts and has pitched in relief 4 times.

Without Drake Baldwin, the Atlanta Braves still flexed baseball’s top offense, outscoring Miami to win the series before heading home to Truist Park.

The Braves downed the Marlins 9-3 to win their 14th series of the season.