Braves Bulletin: The first team to 30 wins has gotten there with underrated performances

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Yet, Atlanta became the first team to 30 wins this season on May 13. The Braves join the 2007 Red Sox, 2016 Cubs and  2017 Astros to accomplish that feat. All those teams have one thing in common — all three went on to win the World Series. After taking two-out-of-three games from the Cubs, the Braves have a 30-14 record. The Braves are part of the rare air by being successful, dominant and resilient. “(The game) dictates that you better be resilient,” manager Walt Weiss said. “Our guys have met all the challenges head on, whether it’s been schedule, injuries or whatever. We’re going to continue to do that because that’s who we are.” The season started with Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep on the injured list. Ha-Seong Kim was already sidelined, having slipped on ice while home in South Korea in the offseason. He had recently inked a one-year, $20 million deal, which came about after the Braves saw him put together a productive 24-game stint for them to end 2025. He was going to be their Opening Day shortstop. The hits didn’t stop there. As Strider prepared for his season debut, superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. was placed on the IL with a hamstring strain on May 3 — and won’t be activated until after this home stand. Catcher Sean Murphy was still shaking off the rust from September hip surgery when he rejoined the roster early last week, and is now once again on the injured list after logging 14 at-bats. The Braves estimate he will miss at least out for eight weeks. With the odds stacked so high against them, how did the Braves become the first MLB team to 30 wins? Can you believe the Braves are getting high-impact contributions from the likes of Mauricio Dubón, a non-tender candidate of the Houston Astros last offseason? Well, they have. And he’s been the Braves’ Swiss army knife. They can plug him in at shortstop, left field, center field and third base, and rest assured the positions are in capable hands because he won two Gold Gloves for his utility in 2023 and 2025. Best of all, he’s earning the moniker “two-out” Dubón, as the 31-year-old has 16 RBIs with two outs, tied for second-most in MLB. His clutch hitting showed Wednesday night, when he slugged a two-run homer to give Atlanta insurance on the way to beating the Cubs 4-1. Dubón, the second Honduran-born player in MLB history, took a long path to the majors. He was drafted out of a high school in Sacramento, Calif., in 2013 and debuted six years later. A big reason why he delivers when the lights are the brightest is his work ethic. “I was a 26th round draft pick — 773rd pick,” Dubón said. “I still got that chip on my shoulder and everything. People sometimes say it’s luck. It’s not luck. It’s hard work, hard dedication, and now it’s paying enough.” Mike Yastrzemski was hitting .200 heading into the Cubs series opener, but he had a pair of big hits this week. His go-ahead two-run homer on Tuesday, snapping a 34-game homer-less streak, helped the Braves to a win. The next day, he drove in the game-winning run in the eighth inning, right before Dubón homered. Although they are from different backgrounds, Yastrzemski and Dubón, his teammate on the 107-win San Francisco Giants in 2021, share similarities. Yastrzemski, whose grandfather was Boston Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski, was also drafted outside of the top 10 rounds (14th, out of Vanderbilt) in 2013 and didn’t make his MLB debut until 2019. “It’s about believing you can put together a good at-bat,” the 35-year-old said. “Focus on doing what you can control the best you can, and being able to go home and sleep easy that night.” The Braves have so much flexibility with their pitching depth, and the bullpen has allowed starters to have more leeway. Grant Holmes, who went 11 days between outings, was pulled after four innings on Tuesday. Rookie flame-thrower Didier Fuentes, who went six days between appearances, followed with three scoreless innings, striking out three. That combined performance gave Robert Suarez even more rest to be available to enter a tied game in the eighth inning the next day. He worked around traffic and slammed the door on the Cubs, setting up Yastrzemski and Dubón’s heroics. Fuentes, 20, isn’t old enough to buy a drink on the concourse at Truist Park, or get into most clubs at The Battery, but he is playing an important role when needed. “He’s helping us win games,” Weiss said. “He’s very versatile. You can use him for one inning in a leverage moment in the game or he can come in and do what he did (Tuesday) and bridge it to the back end.” Additionally, Suarez and fellow bullpen veterans Dylan Lee and Raisel Iglesias have combined for a 0.53 ERA across their 52 1/3 innings. Meanwhile, 35-year-old Martín Pérez, on his fifth team in four seasons, has bounced between the bullpen and rotation over his eight games (five starts). His willingness to play a versatile role has been key for Weiss. “He’s been unbelievable,” Weiss said of Pérez, who pitched out of the bullpen Wednesday and is likely starting Monday’s series opener in Miami. “He’s been a great pro, and he understands. Would he pick this? No, I don’t think anyone would. … He’s been a model for the rest of our pitchers.” It isn’t just Weiss who has taken notice of the bullpen. “It really doesn’t matter whose name comes out of the bullpen,” ace Chris Sale said on Thursday night. “I don’t even look at the screen anymore, because it doesn’t really matter. You could just pick a name out of a hat and pretty much any situation, and you’re confident with who’s going to be out there and what they bring to the table.” Speaking of Sale, while he didn’t receive any offensive support in Thursday’s 2-0 loss, the left-hander continued to dazzle on the mound, throwing six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. Although he took a second straight loss, Sale is second in MLB in wins (tied at six with Paul Skenes and José Soriano). He has tossed at least six innings and allowed two runs or less in his past six outings. While his dominance on the mound is plenty evident, he also has a presence with the young pitchers on staff. “Not everybody has a model like that to look at every day,” Weiss said. “I told them the first day of pitchers and catchers, watch how No. 51 operates, you’re very fortunate to have someone like that to watch and model every day.” • Eli White is expected to return from the seven-day concussion protocol on schedule, with a target for May 18. • Don’t expect to see Ronald Acuña Jr. in action this weekend at Truist Park, but Acuña gave The Athletic a positive update on his progress. “I feel good,” he said in Spanish. “I’m doing all the things the trainers are telling me to do so I can get back to the field as soon as possible.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms