Extra(-base hits) special: Ozzie Albies' hot start earns him spot in Braves history
Ozzie Albies' prolific start has earned him a spot in Braves history, and he has time to try and push that to rewrite the MLB record book too.
The second baseman smacked a two-run home run off the Reds' Homer Bailey during Atlanta's series-ending 7-4 win Thursday, giving Albies his 18th extra-base hit of the season. He then added a 19th with a run-scoring double off Scott Schebler in the ninth.
That broke a Braves record of 17 combined doubles, triples and home runs by the end of April that was set by Dale Murphy (1985) and equaled by Chipper Jones (1998) and Justin Upton (2013).
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Murphy did it in 19 games, while Jones needed 27 and Upton 26. Albies, who was playing in his 24th game of the season, has three more games to play this month to chase down the all-time record of 23 set by Jermaine Dye with the Royals in 2000.
Dye set that mark in 25 games, and Albies could have played in as many as 29, but the horrendous month of weather that has cost MLB a total of 26 games led to the postponement of two Braves games (April 15 vs. the Cubs and 22nd vs. the Mets).
Albies, who is hitting .288/.333/.635 and carries a 161 wRC+ that's 21st in the majors and fourth at the position behind the Cubs' Javier Baez (186), A's Jed Lowrie (181) and Mets' Asdrubal Cabrera (170), has hit an MLB-best 10 doubles, eight home runs and a triple.
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Those homers are a surprise for a player who hit 16 in 1,555 minor league at-bats, but has delivered 14 in 104 at the big league level. Albies' 19.4 home run/fly ball rate is the sixth highest for a Braves player in the first month over the last 10 years, trailing Chipper Jones in 2008 (27.6), Jason Heyward in 2011 (25.9), Upton in '13 (38.7) and '14 (30.8) and Freddie Freeman last season (39.1).
The Phillies, who Atlanta plays on the road in the final series of the month, have allowed just two of Albies' extra-bats hits -- a triple and a home run -- and he has yet to deliver one at Citizens Bank Park, hitting .231 in 13 at-bats last season.
Follow Cory McCartney on Twitter @coryjmccartney and Facebook. His books, 'Tales from the Atlanta Braves Dugout: A Collection of the Greatest Braves Stories Ever Told,' and 'The Heisman Trophy: The Story of an American Icon and Its Winners.' are now available.
