Marcell Ozuna fuels Braves comeback win over Mets

Jun 09, 2023

Mark Bowman

ATLANTA -- Marcell Ozuna owned up to his embarrassing removal from Sunday's game, and then put himself back in good graces while further showing his rejuvenation in May wasn't a fluke.

Ozuna delivered the game-tying double and scored the go-ahead run in a four-run sixth inning that gave the Braves a 6-4 win over the Mets after a 1-hour, 40-minute weather delay on Tuesday night at Truist Park. His timely hit further distanced him from Sunday's lack of hustle and an ugly April that created questions about his future.

"You can see it on my face," Ozuna said. "I enjoy the game, have fun and give it my best."

Ozuna's tenure with the Braves has been a trying one. Days after fracturing two fingers near the end of May in 2021, he was arrested for domestic violence. He then produced a disappointing .687 OPS and had a DUI arrest last year. But over the past five weeks, he's regained the swing and smile that was so often seen when he first came to Atlanta in 2020.

"He's never given up on himself and he's worked really hard," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "We know it's in there. We’ve seen it with the [2020 season]. It's good to see the hard work pays off."

Since hitting .085 with a .397 OPS in 67 plate appearances in March/April, Ozuna has been one of the game's most dangerous hitters. He entered Tuesday with a 1.018 OPS since the start of May, which ranked fourth among all MLB hitters with at least 100 plate appearances within this span.

Ozuna's successful stretch is harkening back to memories of 2020, when he produced a 1.067 OPS, hit an NL-best 18 homers and finished sixth in National League MVP balloting during the COVID-shortened season.

Does he feel like he's back to that level?

"Close, close, close," Ozuna said. "Every day, I'm working and learning everything. Every day you go to the park, you try to learn a little bit and give your best."

Ozuna's latest key contribution extended the Braves’ winning streak to three games and strengthened their spot atop the National League East standings. They have won three of the four games played thus far against the Mets, who are 6 1/2 games back. The second place Marlins are three games back.

The Braves were 10 1/2 games behind the Mets entering June last year and seven games back on Aug. 10 before capturing a fifth straight NL East title. So they certainly understand plenty can still happen. But at the same time, there's no discounting what they did on Sunday, when Eddie Rosario hit a game-winning grand slam with two outs in the ninth against Arizona, and again during this series opener against the Mets.

Ozzie Albies’ solo homer in the second accounted for the Braves’ only run until Austin Riley and Sean Murphy chased Mets starter Carlos Carrasco with consecutive doubles with none out in Tuesday's sixth. Murphy's two-run double cut the Braves’ deficit to one and put him in position to score when Ozuna hit a two-out double off Drew Smith.

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Suddenly, some of those same fans who had loudly booed Ozuna in April were cheering him again.

"He's the same guy now as he was then," Braves starting pitcher Bryce Elder said. "I’m very impressed by that. He hasn't changed a bit and the success has come for him. I’m really happy for him."

Ozuna was lifted from Sunday's win over the D-backs because he ended up with a 415-foot single after admiring his long drive hit near the top of Chase Field's tall center-field wall. He showed accountability as he sat at his locker after the game and said he agreed with Snitker's decision to remove him.

"He handled it exactly the way you’re supposed to," Snitker said. "He came out and got a really, really big hit for us."