ATL 5, MIA 3; Braves Swim Past Marlins

MIAMI, FL—The last time Ronald Acuña Jr. played at loanDepot Park, he suffered a season-ending injury on July 10th, 2021. Acuña tore his ACL leaping for a fly ball in right field, and had to be carted off the field. Less than a year later, he and the Atlanta Braves came back to Miami on Friday night at full strength.

In his first at-bat, Acuña did what he does best: hit the ball hard. He led off the game with a ringing double that left his bat at 113.8 mph. He then scored on an Ozzie Albies single, which gave the Braves an early 1-0 lead. A couple of batters later, former Marlin Marcell Ozuna cranked one over the left field wall for his 8th home run of the season, extending the Braves lead to 3-0.

That was just the first of 3 home runs that Trevor allowed on Friday.

In the top of the 2nd, Dansby Swanson tacked on another with a no-doubter to left field. The ball traveled 408 feet and left his bat at 107.5 mph.

The Marlins wouldn’t be shut out in this one though, as they came through with a run against Charlie Morton in the bottom of the second. Brian Anderson ripped a double to left, and came home on a Bryan De La Cruz base hit, which trimmed the deficit to 4-1.

Trevor’s struggles with the long ball continued in the 3rd inning, as Travis d’Arnaud deposited one into the left field seats. That was the 6th home run Rogers has allowed this year in just 35 ¹⁄₃ innings pitched. In 2021, he allowed 6 home runs (133 IP). Keep in mind that the MLB homer rate overall is down from year to year.

The Marlins showed some more life in the 6th. After a Jesús Aguilar single, Jorge Soler belted his team-leading 8th home run, trimming the deficit to 5-3. He’s now on pace to go deep 34 times this season.

Miami had plenty of opportunities for more in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings, but failed to capitalize. The club went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position, and left 9 men on.

Louis Head kept the game within reach while eating valuable innings for the Marlins. He contributed three scoreless frames, which required a career-high 59 pitches. He is unlikely to be available for the rest of the weekend.

The Braves bullpen did their job, keeping Miami off the board the rest of the way. They won by a final score of 5-3. Charlie Morton earned the win, while Trevor Rogers received the loss. Will Smith closed it out for Atlanta. The Marlins fall to 17-21, while the Braves improve to 18-21.

Don Mattingly’s Postgame Press Conference

Baseball Savant

Elieser Hernandez will toe the rubber on Saturday and try to tie the series at 1-1. The Marlins are celebrating Cuban heritage night and wearing their popular “Havana Sugar Kings” uniforms for the first time in 2022.