What we learned after the Braves' sweep of the Diamondbacks

 You can never count the Braves out of any game

Atlanta trailed 5-2 in the eighth on Friday night before sending the game to extra innings. After Pierce Johnson pitched a scoreless top of the 10th, Travis d'Arnaud walked it off to give Atlanta a leg up in the series. 

On Saturday night, the Braves trailed by deficits of 6-0 and 8-2, but a three-run home run by Marcell Ozuna sparked a wild comeback that culminated in a game-tying single from Ronald Acuna Jr. and a go-ahead single from Austin Riley in the eighth. 

With a save from Raisel Iglesias, the Braves won the series and capped one of the wildest finishes of the young MLB season.

 Starting pitching? Meh. The bullpen? The best in baseball 

After last season, it seems like this headline should be completely flipped around. Atlanta relievers consistently struggled to big outs in 2023, but without big relief outings from the likes of Jesse Chavez, Johnson and Joe Jimenez over the weekend, the Braves may be on the other end of the sweep. 

Spencer Strider's injury-marred start put the Braves behind early, as did a second straight poor outing from Max Fried. Chris Sale seems to be the Braves' best starting pitcher at the moment, but it seems that the bullpen has completely flipped the script from a year ago.

 What a difference a year makes for Ozuna, Kelenic

Both players mentioned above are in drastically different spots than they were a year ago, which should make Braves fans extremely excited about their potential for the season. 

Kelenic was batting .304 at this point in 2023, and while a solid mark, he's been on fire to start 2024, boasting 11 hits, two walks, and three RBI in 19 at-bats to begin the season. He's been everything the Braves expected and much more, especially for a player in the nine-hole of the best lineup in baseball. 

Marcell Ozuna, meanwhile, has also had a much better start to 2024. At this point last year, his future with the team itself was very uncertain. While a trip to Miami in early May ultimately solidified his roster spot, the Big Bear has been raking to start 2024, hitting four home runs and two doubles to start the season, along with 10 RBI. 

If the Atlanta DH can keep up his power numbers throughout the season, he may be in contention to be the NL home run champion.