00:00Well, let's make it about the Braves now. They lost this series to the Nationals. They took
00:03Friday, lost Saturday and Sunday, but their record is far away from the panic zone, sitting at 36
00:08and 18. And since we do have Grant in today, let's play a piece of his conversation that he
00:13had with Tim Hires on the secret of being a good hitting coach. I learned over the years,
00:18you have to have patience. Number one, this game is very difficult. It's not easy. And you're going
00:22to go through those ups and downs and you got to, you know, hang in there with players. They're not
00:27out there trying to make outs. They're working their butts off. And, you know, I think a big
00:31part is being patient with guys because you know they have talent. And that's part of it where I
00:36tell Darnell and Eddie, we just talk about we serve these players. Whatever they need, we're trying to
00:41serve them to help them be prepared for 7 o'clock and go out there and compete. And I think
00:46that
00:46that's something that may seem kind of boilerplate, but it is pretty obvious. But a hitting coach is
00:51working with 13 different hitters that are in different mindsets, that are in different places
00:56in terms of their swing, different places in terms of maybe what their production is at any
01:01given moment. So you kind of, I think with Tim Hires last year, had to spend a lot of time
01:04laying
01:04the groundwork of getting to know guys. And I talked to Austin Riley about it. And he said,
01:07look, I take information in differently in that some guys may want more. I want just the pieces
01:13that can help me because I don't need too much and have paralysis by analysis. And he said,
01:18by learning the way that guys need their information, you can help prepare them for those games and
01:23then hopefully find that consistency. And that's what the Braves, I think, are looking for in a
01:26couple of different spots. But quick and dirty on the Braves offense, though. Last year, first half,
01:3220th in the league in runs scored, if not lower. Ended up 13th in baseball and runs scored last year,
01:38mostly on the strength of a good second half. This year, they've been one of the top two teams
01:42scoring runs this year. Home runs are back on the menu. That's always nice to see. And they're
01:46scoring in bunches. This may have been a bad weekend for them, offensively speaking, but you can tell
01:50year over year. This is a club that has made some strides. And I think that some of these things
01:54of having a good hitting coach and good hitting coach team has benefited the Braves and also
01:58maybe a little bit of health thrown in there. And you said 13 different hitters, 13 different
02:02hitters, which I would say, and you will know this number way more than me, but over half of them
02:07have their own private hitting coach that they probably work with or somebody that helped them
02:12coming up that they rely on. You know, with Chipper, it was his father. I know Riley had the...
02:19Mike Brimley. Yeah, who passed away. So they all have somebody, you know, to that.
02:25But I thought, the one thing I've thought about the Braves is, you're right, the home run has
02:28been back. But to me, it's been more of, there's been a lot more patience at the plate
02:34by most of the guys on this team. And they've had, every game, it feels like they have that
02:40big inning, right? Where they go off for three or four runs and it's just like, they just piece
02:46it together. And you can call it the 20... I mean, I kind of think of it as a little
02:50bit
02:50of today's version of a small ball, where there used to be a lot more bunting and...
02:57It's some situational awareness that wasn't necessarily present. And Walt Weiss has been
03:02pointing to this pretty much all season when asked about the offense. He's like, look, we
03:06can slug, but when we don't and our offense looks flat, we got a big problem. We needed to
03:10address that. And they have. I mean, just look at Friday night. It wasn't about the Braves
03:13out-slugging the Nationals. They out-produced runs, especially in the later innings and
03:19in extra innings, to win a baseball game. And that just didn't feel like a thing they
03:22were doing on a regular basis the last couple of years.
03:24Well, and regardless of if that's an organizational thing or that, whatever, whoever is credited
03:30or to blame in the past or credited now...
03:33And look, let me just go ahead and tell you, it's the village. It ain't one person.
03:35Yeah, and I wholeheartedly believe that. Because we've been around this enough, we understand,
03:40we talked, you know, you talked to enough people, I talked to you, and then I talked,
03:43you know, I know the way...
03:45Osmosis.
03:45I know the... Yes, that's right. I know the way it works in other sports, right?
03:49Yeah.
03:50But the reality is, is that's something that, at the end of the day, whether there were...
03:54However this season finishes, you're going to look back on little things about, like,
04:00managing the bullpen or how situational hitting became a thing again.
04:03And whether it's blame or credit, either way, Walt Weiss will get a lot of that credit,
04:10whereas some people will say, well, look at what Walt did, and then others will go, well,
04:14Snit didn't do that. And it's just the way it works. It's unfortunate that we always need
04:18someone to blame or credit, but it is fun to see. It's what made this team so much fun
04:24to watch, honestly.
04:25Here's something interesting. I was just looking at this and sorting stats because that's the
04:28thing that I do. So let me ask you this. If you were to guess, just based on approach,
04:33and based on the quality of the offense this year, where the Braves rank in Major League
04:37Baseball in walks of the 30 teams, where would you say they are? Just a quick, you don't
04:42have to get too deep into the league.
04:44I would say anywhere from the 10 to 20 range, somewhere in the middle.
04:48What if I were to tell you that they're tied for 25th in baseball in walks?
04:52That's a little bit surprising because I think...
04:54It surprised me just looking at it.
04:55I think Ozzie's done better at the plate of working.
04:59There have been better swing decisions, and that's kind of my point, and it points back
05:03to what Tim Hires has been able to do, is really circle in on some guys.
05:06Michael Harris, Ozzie, Albies, and others to improve some of that and to help give them
05:12what they need to work it through and get back to being who they are a little bit faster.
05:17And again, health, awfully important, especially for Ozzie.
05:20Well, the Braves will start a series with Boston tonight.
05:22Spencer Strider is on the mound.
05:24This is the biggest year ever for soccer in Atlanta, so be sure to join Jason Longshore
05:28every Tuesday night for Atlanta Soccer Tonight.
05:31Jason has you covered all season long on the latest Atlanta United news, plus he's keeping
05:35tabs on international soccer as well.
05:37It's Atlanta Soccer Tonight, brought to you by Ford.
05:39Visit your local Ford dealer Tuesday nights on Sports Radio 92.9 The Game and available
05:44the next day at the Off the Woodwork podcast on Odyssey.
05:47Hey, we've got the morning mailbag coming up.
05:49Worst movie reboot.
05:51We want to hear from you on Memorial Day blunders.
05:53Would you sign Acuna to a long-term contract today?
05:56We've put this question out on social media, and the feedback is really mixed on it.
06:02404-726-0929.
06:05Pretty surprising, in my opinion.
06:06404-726-0929.
06:08Phone lines are open.
06:09Fill them up.
06:10Dylan's taking your calls right now.
06:12The morning mailbag is next on Sports Radio 92.9 The Game and the Odyssey app.
06:23Now, your game traffic.
06:26Powered by Ken Nugent, Georgia's law firm.
06:28One call, that's all.
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06:33Minor accident reported now on Northbound 285 at MLK Junior Drive.
06:37At least one lane blocked.
06:39Northbound 7585 near University Avenue.
06:42Looks like a car broke down, blocking that HOV lane.
06:45So, we are seeing a little bit of a backup.
06:47Not a huge delay.
06:48Trouble in Woodstock.
06:50Actually, it's looking better.
06:51Everything's off to the shoulder.
06:52Southbound 575 at Town Lake Parkway.
06:55Not much of a backup there.
06:56I'm Lori Houston with Odyssey Atlanta Traffic.
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