Scuffling Acuña gets night off in series finale vs. Dodgers

Braves manager Walt Weiss kept right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. out of the starting lineup Thursday in the team’s series finale against the Dodgers at Truist Park.

After an 0-for-5 night at the plate with two strikeouts Wednesday, Acuña is hitting .122 in his last 10 games, .202 in the month of August and .228 for the season.

“I watch guys, and I’ve talked about this, picking spots for guys when I think I feel like maybe they can use some help slowing things down,” Weiss said Thursday. “We talk about the fact that I think with everyday players, the best way to slow the game down, or one of the best ways, is to have them watch it in the dugout. It tends to simplify the game for them without having the pressure to perform that night and get a little break from that.

“Yeah, look, he’s fighting through it. It’s not the first time he’s had to fight through something like this — and they all do. But, had a good talk with (Acuña Thursday) and he’s motivated and he’s going to do what it takes to get through it.”

Acuña has had two stints on the injured list this season, both because of hamstring strains in his left leg. The 28-year-old missed a little more than two weeks in May, then a month and a half across June and July.

After going 2-for-4 against the Diamondbacks on Aug. 15, Acuña has had just five hits since and reached base just eight times in 44 plate appearances. He has also struck out 16 times during that stretch.

“I see a lot more chase than what he typically does,” Weiss said. “Even in the past when he’s had some rough stretches, he’s walking. And I see him expanding the zone now, and something he hasn’t really done much of in the past. He has always taken his walks.

“Tough to point specifically where that’s coming from, whether it’s mechanical or whether it’s mental or frustration or trying to hurry up and get through this. Sometimes players get in a hurry to get through a rough stretch or even a rough at-bat. They get in a hurry and things just speed up. The bottom line is he’s chasing a little bit more than he had in the past.”