Gonzalez’s daily optimism turns into reality

The Braves had lost 12 of their last 15 games. The offense was the problem, not the solution. In eight of those losses, the Braves had scored two runs or less. But you wouldn’t have known there was a hint of a slump by the Braves’ performance with the bats Friday night. And it wasn’t a question of the degree of difficulty declining. The opposition was the Oakland Athletics, owners of baseball’s best record.