Weekend Reflections: The real Acuña Jr. is back – and Philly hates it

It’s not easy to admit that doubts about Ronald Acuña Jr. creep into my head from time to time. How can I even think about the Braves trading a 28-year-old with superstar talent and a team-friendly contract?

Those thoughts are inevitably pushed aside once Acuña gets healthy and starts producing, like he’s doing now. He went off in Philadelphia over the weekend and, as a bonus, the Phillies and their fans hated it.

Acuña hit a game-tying, three-run homer in the eighth inning of Sunday’s 5-4 Braves victory. Acuña is 7-for-12 with two doubles and two homers in the four-game series that concludes Monday afternoon. That’s after he went 3-for-5 with a home run and a stolen base at Washington on Wednesday.

Acuña is still hitting well below his career norm but he had a .731 OPS on Aug. 26 and now has a .797 OPS. His homer on Sunday helped ensure the Braves will leave Philadelphia with no worse than a split and four-game lead in the National League East race.

Acuña was animated during his slow trot around the bases after the homer, like always. Phillies fans booed him, as usual. Acuña gestured for them to get louder, like a boss.

It was a similar scene on Saturday night after Acuña clubbed a homer against Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler. A reporter asked Wheeler about Acuña’s celebration.

“It doesn’t really bother me all that much,” Wheeler said. “He hit a home run, so it’s up to him to do what he wants. Our guy just rounds the bases that hits 50 here.”

Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber is dispassionate after his home runs. Good for him. Acuña is excited after he homers. Good for him.

The tired debate about The Right Way to play baseball lives on. The so-called traditionalists seem to be the only people who don’t know they lost already.

Fans like to see baseball players get excited about being good at a hard game and there’s nothing the people who hate fun can do about it.

It’s good to see Acuña rounding into form. The Braves shouldn’t trade him, of course. It’s just hard to see Acuña struggle when he’s not himself. He’s a joy to watch when he’s in peak form.

It’s even better when he ticks off Philly.

Mendoza a bright spot

The loss to Colorado made two in a row for Georgia Tech coach Brent Key with a packed house for a big game. At least the Yellow Jackets have fewer questions about their quarterback now.

Albert Mendoza passed for 237 yards on 23 attempts (his 10.3 yards per attempt ranked second among ACC quarterbacks who faced a Power Four opponent in Week 1). Mendoza made plays on the move, showed poise against Colorado’s pass rush and made some big-time throws to give Tech a chance to win.

Mendoza’s performance in his first collegiate start should quiet any doubts about his ability to replace Haynes King. Mendoza can be effective as a different kind of quarterback. It’s not his fault that Tech’s offense failed to score a touchdown.

Key has boasted about having more than five starter-quality linemen available. So then why did that group look so inept blocking for runs?

Justice Haynes never rushed for fewer than 5.1 yards per attempt in eight games with Michigan. He averaged 3.4 yards on 19 carries against Colorado.

Also, what was going on with Key’s clock management during the penultimate drive?

I had flashbacks to 28-3 every time the Jackets snapped the ball with too many seconds still on the play clock. Colorado shouldn’t have had enough time to run eight plays on its final drive.

Quarterback is supposed to be the main question for the Jackets this season. It turned out that Mendoza was about the best thing the Jackets had going for them in another deflating loss.

Embolo has smashing debut

Breel Embolo made his debut for Atlanta United at Inter Miami on Saturday and immediately injected some life into the club’s moribund attack. Embolo’s goal earned the Five Stripes a 2-2 draw against the club with the most talent in MLS.

Embolo bothered Inter Miami’s back line all night while drawing a team-high seven fouls. He made a clever run into the box to earn a penalty kick in the 87th minute. Embolo smashed the penalty shot into the right corner to make it 2-2.

Embolo had a good chance to score the game-winner during stoppage time. Miami defenders left him unmarked just outside the penalty arc. Embolo hit a hard strike, but it sailed over goal.

It was still a great United debut for Embolo. The Five Stripes acquired him two weeks ago for a reported $18 million fee. He fit seamlessly with playmaking midfielder Miguel Almirón on Saturday.

The Five Stripes (6-13-4) have earned 11 of 27 possible points since MLS play restarted after the World Cup. They are seven points out of the final guaranteed playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 11 matches to play.

My Weekend Predictions are 3-3

I’ve got a shot at a winning week after Louisville covered the spread in a loss to Ole Miss on Sunday night. But how much of a chance do I really have when winning depends on Florida State putting up a fight against No. 19 SMU on Monday night?

I need FSU coach Mike Norvell to renew my faith in home underdogs after Stanford got stomped by Miami.

Three quick thoughts

1. Braves closer Raisel Iglesias has sorted things out. After a stretch of allowing runs in four of six outings, Iglesias has held opponents scoreless in seven consecutive appearances. He earned his 31st save in his 34th chance on Sunday, Iglesias, 36, made a career-high 70 appearances in 2025. He’s already made 52 this year, despite a 16-day stint on the injured list.
2. LSU coach Lane Kiffin gave me a sweet trifecta. Kiffin’s team easily covered the spread against Clemson, he humbled Dabo Swinney and he clowned his haters. LSU led 31-3 at halftime when Kiffin ended his ESPN interview by telling Holly Rowe: “Imagine if we had pro players.” LSU won 51-10 without suiting up players who were cleared by court order to return to college football after NFL teams released them.
3. Dream forward Angel Reese helped the U.S. women’s national team avoid a huge upset loss on Sunday in Berlin. The Americans held off Italy for a 55-52 victory that extended their World Cup winning streak to 32 games. Reese finished with eight points, three rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 15 minutes. Italy is just the second team to lose by a margin of fewer than double digits to the U.S. since its last loss (2006 vs. Russia).