Olson’s 25th home run ties for MLB lead in Braves win

CINCINNATI — matt olson he chuckled when asked if he would consider naming one of his children Citizens Bank Park or Great American Ball Park. Her reluctance to commit could have something to do with the success she’s had in many stadiums this year.

But the Braves first baseman really liked Cincinnati this weekend, as he tied for the major league home run lead. Olson hit four home runs during the three-game series, including a go-ahead, three-run home run in the sixth inning of a 7-6 win over the previously hot reds on Sunday afternoon.

“What he’s doing right now is amazing,” Braves third baseman Austin Riley said. “We know that when he gets hot, it’s fun to watch. He’s doing that right now.”

With Olson’s help, the Braves went 4-1 on this road trip that began in Philadelphia. They swept a two-game set against the Phillies, who entered the series having won 13 of their last 15 games. Atlanta then snapped its eight-game winning streak on Friday night before claiming two in a row against the Reds to snap their 12-game winning streak.

Each of the six games played between these teams this year was decided by one run. On Sunday, the Braves gave up a pair of runs in the eighth inning and then breathed a sigh of relief in the ninth inning after a game-ending double play with runners on the corners.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been this exhausted after a series,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “That was something else. The fans got their money’s worth on this series.”

The Braves and Reds combined for 19 home runs to tie the record for the most hits during a three-game series in Cincinnati.

Olson totaled five home runs during the five-game tour, but the standout was the go-ahead three-run homer off Ian Gibaut in the series finale. The opposite field blast was his 25th home run of the year, tying him with Shohei Ohtani for the MLB lead. Olson’s rise in home runs has also helped him increase his NL-leading RBI total to 60, one behind the Angels’ MLB slugger lead.

“RBIs are the most important stat to me,” Snitker said. “It doesn’t even show up on some stat sheets. The run-driving guys are the most important piece of this game. It’s not all the other things they talk about.”

Olson’s critics have focused on his 28.1 percent strikeout rate or his .236 batting average. But four games into the middle of the season, he has an .891 OPS. That number hasn’t fluctuated much. He posted a .932 OPS in March/April, an .851 OPS in May and an .888 OPS so far in June.

The power has always been there for Olson, who entered this season alongside Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and Eugenio Suárez as the only players to hit at least 29 home runs in four of the last five seasons.

What has bothered Olson this year, however, has been a lack of consistent production.

“I make them count when I get hits and produce,” Olson said. “But at some point, it’s not sustainable to have, I don’t even know what percentage, of your hits are home runs.”

Thirty-six percent (25 of 70) of Olson’s hits have been home runs. But still he has been more consistent than he might think. His .350 on-base percentage isn’t much lower than Ohtani’s (.377), and it’s higher than Pete Alonso’s (.318), who’s the only other player to hit at least 24 home runs this year. .

Olson has acknowledged some progress, striking out in just 23.7 percent of his plate appearances this month. He also showed the ability to go the other way, as two of his home runs this week were hit down the left-field line.

“He’s a big, strong, really talented guy,” Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton said.

Riley was also among the many impressed to see Olson homer off a pitch below the strike zone on Saturday and then highlight Sunday’s victory with a home run off a 97.4 mph fastball above the strike zone.

“That last one, I was like, ‘That’s a good swing,’” Riley said. “Then I went and looked at him and he was like four balls over the zone at 97. I thought, ‘I’m going to have to take some notes.'”