Adrian Houser and the Brewers learned just how dominant the Braves offense can be

ATLANTA – Abraham Toro hasn’t been up here much this year, but that didn’t stop him from hitting the nail on the head from the visitor’s clubhouse at Truist Park Friday night.

“I thought we had really good at-bats. We just got out-hit,” Toro said. “They’re a really good team.”

That good team Toro was talking about: The Atlanta Braves, who sport the best record in the majors. Their lineup may very well be tops, as well.

Fourteen hits, three of which left the yard, 19 base runners and double-digit runs amounted to the final damage by the Braves in a 10-7 win over Toro and the Milwaukee Brewers in the first of a three-game series.

Here are three takeaways from the loss.

Adrian Houser gets too much plate and pays for it

For a pitcher like Adrian Houser who is going to go to his sinker with frequency, it’s imperative he keep the ball down with solid command.

Houser did the first part for the most part against the Braves, but didn’t complete the second half of the equation.

An aggressive Braves lineup pounded Houser’s sinker, as well as his four-seamer, on their way to putting up six runs over four-plus innings from the righty.

Through the first four innings, Atlanta tallied each of its five hits, including a Marcell Ozuna solo homer in the fourth, against fastballs.

In the second, the Braves strung together four straight two-out hits in a span of seven pitches. Houser didn’t make the adjustment to go to a different pitch early in counts quick enough, and the National League’s second-highest scoring offense pounced.

“They’re a really good lineup over there,” Houser said. “They’re ready to hit. They’re ready to attack you when they smell blood.”

Sure, Houser and reliever Bryse Wilson, who allowed the other four runs in one inning of work, didn’t pitch well Friday, but the offensive outburst was more an indicator of Atlanta’s prowess than anything.

At times, it feels like it comes easy for the Braves lineup. The hitter with the lowest OPS on the team, Ozuna, socked his 19th homer of the year. His .746 OPS would be fourth-best on the Brewers among hitters with at least 100 plate appearances.

Six of Atlanta’s hits against Houser were over 100 mph off the bat. They had 11 batted balls with triple-digit velocity for the game; 10 went for hits and one was a sacrifice fly.

“They’ve got good hitters and they squared some balls up,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell summarized.

A minor-league adjustment for Abraham Toro has major payoff

Toro was scorching at the time of his promotion to Milwaukee on Wednesday. Over his previous 10 games and 46 plate appearances at Class AAA Nashville, Toro was batting .476 with 10 extra-base hits and a 1.351 OPS.

With Jesse Winker going to the injured list, the Brewers have given Toro two chances to see if those results can carry over to the majors.

So far, they have.

The 26-year-old infielder went 3 for 4 with a three-run homer and four RBI on Friday.

In a very small sample of 16 MLB plate appearances this year, Toro is batting .533 with a 1.496 OPS and two homers.

He hopes that some of the mechanical tweaks made to his swing with Nashville hitting coach Al LaBeouf can pay dividends in Milwaukee.

“One of the things was how I was able to use my legs a little better,” Toro said of his adjustments at the plate. “That helped me to stay through the zone, and the swing takes care of itself when I’m able to do that.”

Playing time in the immediate future isn’t a guarantee for Toro, though, regardless of how sizzling his bat is. Carlos Santana, the first baseman acquired via trade from the Pirates on Thursday, is expected to be in Atlanta for his Brewers debut Saturday.

Perhaps Toro will get some action at second base with Brice Turang still unable to get things going offensively, but it’s unlikely the Brewers sacrifice the defense of Turang they value so highly. Designated hitter may be a place for Toro, though the Brewers have often utilized that spot to get Christian Yelich or William Contreras a day off their feet recently.

Willy Adames’ second half struggles continue

It’s often true that the Brewers go as Willy Adames goes.

If the Brewers want to go far, then that’s going to require more production from Adames – especially if he’s going to bat third in the lineup.

With an 0-for-5 showing against the Braves, Adames dropped to 7 for 49 (.143) in the second half. He has just two extra-base hits in his last 52 plate appearances.

Adames has shown the ability to turn things around offensively on a dime before in his career. Because shortstop is a position the Brewers are highly unlikely to seek an upgrade at, it will ultimately come down to Adames and Adames alone producing for Milwaukee to get the production it’s banking on from that spot.

“That’s accurate – he has not gotten going,” Counsell said “He’s played great defense but we need offense, especially where he’s hitting in the lineup in the middle of those guys. We need some offense, for sure.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Braves offense pours in 10 runs against Adrian Houser, Brewers