Three Cuts: Grab an umbrella MLB pitchers, because Josh Donaldson is heating up
1. It’s been raining at SunTrust Park
It’s been a memorable run for Josh Donaldson. He got into the stare down with the Pirates‘ Joe Musgrove that led to the benches clearing on Monday night and Saturday, and his wonderfully eclectic playlist — which featured Keith Sweat’s ‘Twisted,’ and ‘Jambalaya’ by Hank Williams Sr. — was the soundtrack for Saturday’s batting practice.
Also, this may well be stretch where we may look back and remember the Bringer of Rain catching fire.
The 33-year-old homered for the third straight day Sunday, part of a three-hit day and a seven-hit series as Donaldson has hit .370/.392/.889 over his last six games to push his season line to .252/.360/.471 with 118 wRC+.
That comes after he was at just one percent above league average in the month of May with seven extra-base hits in 25 games and nearly 100 plate appearances. By comparison, Donaldson has just one fewer XBH in his last six games.
Even when the numbers weren’t were many had hoped when he signed a one-year, $24 million deal with the Braves, the underlying stats spoke to Donaldson going on a run. He’s remained in the upper 90s in exit velocity and hard-hit percentiles, dealing with undeniable bad luck as his BABIP was at .171 before this weekend’s series.
A lot was made of the extra work that Donaldson got in before Saturday’s game as he and hitting coach Kevin Seitzer worked with the breaking ball machine as he’s seen an uptick in sliders (15.7 percent after seeing 13.5 last year) and been at minus-0.3 wSL runs above average and he’s had issues with curveballs (minus-2.3 wCB). But that work clearly paid off.
Saturday, he homered on a changeup and doubled off a knuckle curve and Sunday, he went deep on another changeup and also hit a double on a slider.
“Over the course of this weekend … I think I had five or six (hits) on off-speed,” Donaldson said. It’s just something I’ve been kind of lacking, really all year.
“Having that freedom and taking a couple changeups and being able to hit them out of the ballpark, that’s more like what I do.”
Donaldson has now homered in three straight games for the first time since Sept. 15-17, 2017, a good omen as it was the last time the former American League MVP reached triple digits in games played in a season.
“He gets it going, he’s that type of guy that can carry you,” manager Brian Snitker said.
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