By MIKE ROBERTS
As usual, the Atlanta Braves were firing on all cylinders this past week. They won two out of three games against both the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. The Braves are serious World Series contenders. They begin the month of June with not only the best record (40-20) in all of baseball, but as the only MLB team to win 40 games through the end of May.
If you didn’t follow Braves baseball closely this past week, here are a few things you might’ve missed.
The Passing of Bob Horner
While the Braves have played exceptionally well on the field, it has been a sad spring for the franchise off of it. Former owner Ted Turner, manager Bobby Cox, and announcer John Sterling passed away in recent weeks. Then another Braves legend, former slugger Bob Horner, died May 26.
Following a stellar college baseball career at Arizona State where he led the Sun Devils to three consecutive College World Series, including a championship in 1977, Horner was selected by the Braves first overall in the 1978 Major League Baseball Draft. He skipped the minor leagues entirely and went straight to Atlanta.
Impressively hitting 23 home runs in just 89 games, Horner was named the National League Rookie of the Year and was an All-Star in 1982 when he recorded 32 homers and 97 RBIs. Horner teamed with Dale Murphy to form an exciting and powerful duo for the Braves.
Horner spent nine of his 10 MLB seasons in Atlanta, hitting 215 home runs during his time there. On July 6, 1986, he clobbered a ridiculous four home runs in a game against the Montreal Expos, becoming only the 12th player in history to accomplish such a feat.
Ronald Acuña Jr. Is Back!
Ronald Acuña Jr. (.253 AVG., .821 OPS, 7 HR, 21 RBI, 12 SB) has had a fantastic career with the Braves: winning an MVP, NL Rookie of the Year, and three Silver Sluggers while making five All-Star teams and leading the National League in stolen bases twice. However, he hadn’t had a great 2026 season; he missed 12 games with a strained left hamstring and struggled upon his return.
This past week, though, Acuña looked like his best self. He finished the week with home runs in four straight games, the fourth time in his career he had such a streak. And speaking of doing something for the fourth time, Acuña started the power surge when he launched his fourth career grand slam in Thursday’s 10-2 win over Boston. He swatted four more home runs in the three-game series with Cincinnati, including a pair of solo shots in Saturday’s 5-2 victory.
Yeah, it’s safe to say he had a pretty good week.
Money Mike’s Contributions
We go from one former Rookie of the Year to another in Michael Harris II (.307 AVG., .868 OPS, 13 HR, 36 RBI, 3 SB), who had quite a week for the Braves. He contributed four hits, a home run, and three RBIs in Tuesday’s 7-6 win over Boston. He also came up with three hits and three RBIs during Friday’s win over the Reds.
Overall, Harris had at least two hits in four of the Braves’ six games this past week and he’s batting .393 with a .643 slugging percentage in Atlanta’s past seven ballgames. He homered seven times in May. The man they call “Money Mike” continues to play a big role in the team’s success this year.
Looking Ahead
Next up, the Braves will return home for a pair of three-game series: one against the Toronto Blue Jays starting Tuesday, and another versus the Pittsburgh Pirates that starts Friday.
Here’s a look at the upcoming schedule, including TV information and probable pitchers:
Tuesday, 6/2: 7:15 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, Kevin Gausman (TOR) (4-3, 3.13 ERA, 1.09 WHIP) vs. Bryce Elder (ATL) (4-3 2.50 ERA, 1.08 WHIP)
Wednesday, 6/3: 7:15 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, Patrick Corbin (TOR) (2-1, 3.65 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) vs. Grant Holmes (ATL) (3-2, 3.95 ERA, 1.33 WHIP)
Thursday, 6/4: 7:15 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, TBD (TOR) vs. Chris Sale (ATL) (8-3, 2.01 ERA, 0.94 WHIP)
Friday, 6/5: 7:15 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, TBD (PIT) vs. TBD (ATL)
Saturday, 6/6: 4:10 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, TBD (PIT) vs. TBD (ATL)
Sunday, 6/7: 1:35 PM, BravesVision/MLB.TV, TBD (PIT) vs. TBD (ATL)