Austin Riley and the Braves hit the cardinals hard

ATLANTA – Two games since his career, Austin Riley has provided an unexpected and encouraging answer to the question of why the only swing that he has had so far has been against a curveball thrown by Adam Wainwright at the third round of the Braves 10-2 win over the Cardinals on Thursday

ATLANTA – Two games in his career, Austin Riley provided an unexpected and encouraging answer when asked why the only swing that he had so far had been against a curved ball Adam Wainwright pitched in the third inning of the 10-2 win Braves against the Cardinals on Thursday night at SunTrust Park.

"I was sitting on it," Riley said. "He was a cutter and then a fastball in my first match. The second time in training, he had thrown a bunch [of curveballs] for strikes. So, I was just trying my luck and he threw it there.

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This is the kind of brain response we expected from Chipper Jones as he neared the end of his Hall of Fame career. It was not necessarily what was expected of a 22-year-old hopeful who was tearing up the Triple-A circuit 48 hours earlier. But first impressions have shown that the value of this highly esteemed perspective exceeds the power of Paul Bunyan.

"It's the real deal," said Braves receiver Brian McCann. "The way he looks after his business, the tools and the makeup, the guys who have this are the ones you are passionate about. He is here and he will be really good for a long time. "

Riley was phenomenally successful in his Major League debut Wednesday night, then added to the hype with a three-shot performance that allowed the Braves to close this three-game series with a fifth win in six games. The young slugger has scored four goals out of seven with a pair of extra-base tubes, the latest being on the brink of his second circuit.

"I think I went as close to the goal as I could hit a home run without doing it," said Riley, referring to the double of the opposite pitch that hit the top of the center-right brick wall in the second run.

"I think it just shows you the kind of power this kid has," said Braves director Brian Snitker. "He will be able to attack the whole stage. He is strong and that ball jumps on him. "

In recent weeks, the baseball world has begun to pay more attention to Riley, who has scored 10 times in his last 50 assists for Triple-A Gwinnett. There has never been a reason to doubt brute power. But there may be reason to believe that he will be more than just a free swinger who goes on the hunt for assaults.

After watching a first-step cutter and crushed the fastball that followed in the second inning, Riley walked on the board hoping to see Wainwright throw him with the curved ball. When the Cardinals veteran managed to do so, the Braves' newcomer pledged him in the middle of the field for a mere RBI.

"He's a good young player," Wainwright said. "You can say that he has a good swing. He has a lot of power, a good approach up there. You can say that he has a chance. "

When Riley hit Wednesday against Michael Wacha in his first career appearance in the plate, he looked at two curves and then changed after a 2-2 change. Two rounds later, he watched another curved ball out of the area before punching a fast ball raised deep into the left center seats.

Riley has only scored two of the 15 off-area shots he's seen so far. The first time, he attacked a fastball before hitting Wacha. The second resulted in a near homer against Wainwright's outdoor fastball.

"Upon entering this area, I thought to myself, it's the same game," Riley said. "You have to take the same approach and go up there with a plan and not be free. I think I'm good at it.