It has occurred a little later than expected, but the Braves are now playing the brand of baseball that was expected of them all along.

They’ve won 10 of their first 14 games in August, and have climbed their way up the Southern Division standings into a tie for fifth place — a significant improvement from the last-place position they occupied just two weeks ago.

Tonight, local fans will get to see the new-and-improved Braves when they host Charleston in the opener of a six-game homestand.

The Braves had an off day Tuesday after completing a very long — and mostly productive — road trip on Monday night. They posted a 5-3 mark on the journey, which included stops in Maryland and Ohio.

They opened the trip by winning five of the first six games, including a four-game sweep of Hagerstown that featured two stirring one-run wins. But the final two games of the road trip brought the Braves back to earth, as the Rome pitching staff surrendered 30 runs in a pair of lopsided setbacks to the Lake County Captains.

Monday’s 19-2 loss to the Captains on the final day of the trip put a sour twist on the excursion, and was perhaps the Braves’ ugliest performance of the season. They allowed 17 runs in a two-inning stretch — eight in the fifth inning and nine in the sixth — during the loss.

Still, it was a solid trip for the Braves, and for Adam Milligan in particular. The slugging outfielder went 11-for-34 with two homers and seven RBIs to maintain his hitting binge.

In 40 games since joining the Rome club, Milligan has batted .347 with 10 homers, 10 doubles, two triples and 27 RBIs.