The Atlanta Braves are coming out to play this season! They have come out the gates swinging to start their 2026 campaign. A great start for them, as well as a slow start from their division rivals, has them on top of the NL East early with a 6-2 record.
Along the way, the Braves have set a new franchise record thanks to one incredible game. Through eight games, Atlanta has scored a whopping 43 runs. That, along with their defense allowing just 14 runs in that same time period, nets them a new franchise high in run differential through the first eight games, per Bob Nightengale.
The highlight of the Braves' torrid start came two days ago, when they took on the Arizona Diamondbacks. There, Atlanta poured in 17 runs against a hapless Arizona team. That, combined with just the two runs allowed in that game, contributed to their absurdly high run differential.
Even if you take out their big game, though, the Braves have been mighty excellent to start the year. Even with their pitching staff decimated by injuries, they've done an excellent job holding their opponents down. They've held their opponents scoreless in three of their eight games and have allowed more than 4 runs just twice, their only two losses of the campaign.
The stars of the Braves offense are sophomore catcher Drake Baldwin and veteran first baseman Matt Olson. Baldwin built upon his solid rookie campaign in 2025 and is breaking out as one of the league's best offensive catchers. He's third in the league in home runs with three and fourth in RBIs with eight, all while batting .281 with a .594 slugging percentage. Olson, meanwhile, has two homers and six RBIs in their first eight games, batting an even more impressive .313 on the season and a ridiculous .625 slugging percentage.
The Braves are coming off a clean 2-0 win over the Diamondbacks in the second game of their four-game series. Olson and second baseman Ozzie Albies were the heroes of the game, each hitting solo homers in the ninth inning to break the scoreless deadlock. Next up for Atlanta after the D-Backs series is a trip to Anaheim to take on the Los Angeles Angels for a three-game series.
