Braves’ winning streak hits 12 games as Dansby Swanson stays hot vs. Nationals

The Atlanta Braves, the reigning World Series champions, extended their majors-leading winning streak to 12 games on Monday night with a 9-5 victory over the Washington Nationals (box score). The Braves now possess a 35-27 record on the season, putting them five games back of the New York Mets, who were off on Monday.

Atlanta did suffer one major loss on Monday, with second baseman Ozzie Albies departing in the fifth inning after fracturing his foot.

The Braves were paced by shortstop Dansby Swanson (who else?) and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. 

Swanson, an impending free agent, has been red-hot since the calendar flipped to May. Indeed, his .644 OPS through the month of April has been overshadowed by the .883 mark since that he carried into Monday’s game. He then drove in the Braves’ second and third runs on the night with a single in the second inning. (Catcher Travis d’Arnaud placed the Braves on the board originally with a solo home run.) Swanson later added a two-run homer to give him four runs batted in on the evening.

Ozuna, for his part, broke the game open in the fifth with a two-run home run to make it a 5-0 contest. He entered Monday’s game with a 78 OPS+ on the season and, unlike the aforementioned Swanson, he’s scuffled since the end of April. To wit, Ozuna had a .747 OPS entering May, as opposed to a .598 mark since.

Fellow outfielders Adam Duvall and Michael Harris each launched a home run of their own. Harris’ blast was the first of his nascent big-league career.

The Braves will continue their three-game set versus the Nationals on Tuesday before wrapping up the set on Wednesday. Afterwards, the Braves will head to Chicago to play the Cubs in a three-game weekend series. 

The Braves’ winning streak is, as previously noted, the longest active in the majors. The New York Yankees have the second-longest in MLB, at four games.