The Atlanta Braves had their ups-and-downs in September, but ended the month 14-11, buoyed by 10-game winning streak during the last-half of the month.
The Braves starting pitching trio of Spencer Strider, Chris Sale and Bryce Elder pitched in five games a piece (Sale’s relief of Charlie Morton’s start on the season’s final day provide the same value as a start) and tossed approximately 30 innings each with an ERA on either side of 3.00. Sale struck out 42, Elder 32 and Strider 26 to pace the pitching staff.
In the bullpen, closer Raisel Igelsias and Tyler Kinley each appeared in 11 games with a solo home run account by Kinley being the only run either of the two right-handers allowed in September. Not to be outdone, lefty Dylan Lee struck out 13 in 8.2 innings with a microscopic 0.46 WHIP, 0.003 better than Kinley.
On the position player side, rookie catcher Drake Baldwin worked through a mini-slump to tie for the team lead in RBI while also pounding four home runs and two triples. Reserve Eli White slugged three home runs in limited duty – 20 at-bats over 11 games. Before his injury, Ozzie Albies was having a solid month as was Marcell Ozuna, who was likely playing in his final month as a Brave. Newcomer Ha-Seong Kim had his moments offensively, but cooled off during the last week of the season.
Star outfielder Ronald Acuña, Jr. finished the month looking like the MVP-level player he has been when healthy, with a .949 OPS that included six home runs and team-best 18 walks. He stole three bases and finished second on the team in runs scored and hits.
When the month came to an end, it was Atlanta’s iron man who came out on top.
Battery Power Braves Player of the Month: Matt Olson
What a month Atlanta’s Mr. Reliable Matt Olson had in September. Not only did his consecutive games streak continue through another season, but he paced the team in almost every offensive category while also continuing to play defense at a level that could see him earn a Gold Glove.
Oh, and he also picked-up his first career ejection, to boot.
In September, Olson led the team with a 1.008 OPS that included eight home runs, two triples and five doubles in his 28 hits. He also walked 12 times and scored a team-best 21 runs and tied Baldwin with 18 RBI.
For the month, he finished with a 173 wRC+ and a .292/.373./.635 slash line.
His eight home runs in September tied his best monthly output for a single month in 2025, which he also produced in April.
It was a strong close to another excellent season for Olson.
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