ATLANTA -- Austin Riley has tinkered with various adjustments, attempting to find the consistency that has often eluded him this year. It appears he may have found the solution during Monday’s off-day, when he decided it was time to get back to just relaxing and playing the game he loves.  

Riley was certainly feeling good after he helped the Braves claim a momentum-shifting 7-5 win over the D-backs on Thursday afternoon at Truist Park. His go-ahead, three-run homer with two outs in the eighth provided a happy ending to what was a humbling homestand for MLB’s most successful team.  

“It wasn’t a great homestand, but it wasn’t because of a lack of fight or anything else,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s just one of those things. This was a really good ballgame against a really good club.”

When the Braves opened this six-game homestand with a win over the White Sox on Friday, it looked like they might continue their roll from before the All-Star break. At the time, Atlanta had won 28 of its past 33 games. But the Braves found themselves four outs away from a five-game losing streak as Riley came to the plate for the last time on Thursday.  

Riley responded by drilling Miguel Castro’s 1-2 slider into the left-field seats. His three-run shot was his 20th homer of the season and his fourth since he returned from the off-day committed to stop worrying as much this season.  

“I was trying to be the best version of myself, and I got caught up in way too much going on up in my head,” Riley said. “We talked in the cage and we were like, ‘Let’s keep it as simple as possible and try to have fun out there.’”

With Riley homering for a third straight day, and Matt Olson increasing his NL homer lead (32) with a pair of late-inning shots, the Braves escaped their 2-4 homestand in great shape. They lead the NL East by 10 1/2 games, and they have a seven-game lead in the battle for the NL’s best record.  

“The first half we had was great, and you try to carry that over,” Riley said. “After having four of five days off, guys that play every day are trying to get back in that groove. Hopefully, today sparks that.”

Though he was certainly happy with the team’s result, Spencer Strider wasn’t happy with his performance in this series finale. Strider struck out 13 through six scoreless innings and then ended his outing by allowing consecutive homers in the seventh. His frustration was visibly evident long after he had exited the game.

“That's pretty impressive what we were able to do, to come back and win the game,” Strider said. “But there's going to be times when we can't do that. So especially in a game like that, I've got to be able to hold a lead, and I didn’t do that.”

Fortunately for Strider, the Braves’ offense finally got to Zac Gallen, who lost a perfect-game bid in the sixth on Orlando Arcia’s home run. The NL Cy Young Award candidate surrendered a triple to Riley and a homer to Olson in the seventh.

Riley has hit .268 with an .807 OPS in 95 games this year. While consistency has been an issue, he is on pace for a third straight 30-homer season. His surge this week provided an opportunity for him to make the most of July, a month during which he thrived the past two years. He entered Tuesday having hit just .196 with a .528 OPS over 49 plate appearances this month.  

“It’s a long season, tough stretches are going to happen,” Snitker said. “He realizes that. He’s maturing. If he gets it going like that, he can really, really carry you.”