Apr 23, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) hugs third baseman Chris Johnson after the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Braves defeated the Rockies 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Freeman spent the weekend with the Gwinnett Braves, where he went 5-10 at the plate. He returns at a pivotal point in the Braves start to the 2013 season. After a 3 game losing streak against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Braves have been struggling to score runs and Freeman proved he is healed and ready to help the team bounce back.

The Braves won both games against the Rockies yesterday with scores of 4-3 and 10-2. The team showed signs of good hitting yesterday with 23 hits in two games. Eight of the 14 runs collectively scored were scored off of 6 homeruns, 3 in each game. It seems as though the curse of either striking out or hitting a home run might be slipping away.

The double header was also a good look for Braves fans at both players involved the Justin Upton/Chris Johnson trade. Johnson secured the role of starting third baseman and made his first official start as the full time third baseman yesterday. Johnson, who is leading the team in batting average with a .397, has proven himself as a huge asset to the team. Upton hit a home run in each game, bringing his season total up to a league-leading 11 home runs in 20 games.

Freeman’s return means great things for the Braves, as he is batting .348 this season through 23 plate appearances. If the team keeps up this fantastic start and are able to produce more hits and less strikeouts, they are surely bound for a magnificent season.

Freddie Freeman hits a walk off two-run homer in the ninth against Marlins. The Braves won 4-3 to clinch a NL wildcard spot. Photo Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

To look at the final stats one might think Freddie Freeman’s 2012 was about the same as his 2011 with a slight drop off in his batting average. It’s true his overall OBP and OPS were about the same as last year but you have to look deeper than numbers to understand how much Fab5Freddie as the Twitterverse knows him he improved and how important he was to the Braves  success.

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As April ends the Braves are still hot and after beating the Bucs today are tied with the Nats who lost to the Dodgers. This is a real turn around after having our ass handed to us by the Mets to start the year. Watching my Twitter TL during this run of success raised a few topics I wanted to address but that in themselves didn’t warrant a post all their own. Herewith an opportunity fix that.

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