There was a somber tone in the clubhouse following the game, but the Braves were able to get to .500 with a 5-4 victory over the Marlins Saturday in Miami.
Here are five takeaways from the game:
1. A half-inning after trotting home from second base to score a run on a Freddie Freeman home run, Ronald Acuna Jr. was carted off the field and his season was over.
The Braves outfielder went up to make a play on a deep fly ball in the bottom of the fifth inning and came down wrong on his right leg. He held it and grimaced in pain as tears streaked across his face.
Acuna tried to hobble to the dugout, but collapsed just before he reached first base. Players, trainers and coaches surrounded Acuna before he was helped to the clubhouse for examination.
2. The Braves found out late Saturday night that Acuna is out for the season. He suffered a complete tear of the ACL in his right knee, the team confirmed.
The Braves said Acuna underwent an MRI that showed the tear and he will undergo season-ending surgery.
Before the update, Braves players worried about their teammate.
“It feels like minutes take hours,” Dansby Swanson said. “It’s one of those things that’s kind of out of your control. You just have to wait as patiently as you can. We’re just praying for him and thinking about him.”
3. Braves starter Max Fried was eventually able to settle down after Acuna’s injury, striking out two. The first three batters he faced after the delay hit singles to load the bases.
The 27-year-old lefty took a breath and delivered two strikeouts to maintain a 5-3 advantage heading into the sixth inning.
“There was a big delay there, but he righted himself at the right time there,” Snitker said. “He got two big outs to get through the fifth inning and pick up the win. That was huge. It definitely could have gotten out of hand in a hurry.”
Fried had five strikeouts and allowed nine hits on 92 pitches in five innings. It’s his first career win against the Marlins and sixth win of the season.
“There were some good stretches and some inconsistent ones,” Fried said when describing his first half of the season. “I’m really looking forward to trying to fine tune everything over the break and come out and have a strong second half.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
4. The Braves’ bullpen allowed just two base runners over four innings. Luke Jackson, Chris Martin, AJ Minter and Will Smith combined for five strikeouts, allowing two hits and a run with no walks.
They worked quickly and effectively, with the only hiccups coming for Smith in the bottom of the ninth with two singles.
5. Led by Freeman, the Braves had seven hits and drew three walks. Freeman hit an RBI single to score Jonathan Lucroy in the third inning and then hit a two-run homer in the fifth. Lucroy was walked twice.
Swanson had two timely hits, including an RBI double to tie the game at 2.
“The consistency hasn’t always been there, but I feel like there are times when we start to get it rolling a little bit,” Swanson said. “I feel like we’re starting to build our own momentum. The bats are getting more consistent up and down the lineup.”
Stat to know
1 (The Braves’ pitching staff allowed just one walk in Saturday’s win.)
Quotable
“You never wanna see one of your teammates go down like that, especially being in pain the way he was. That’s never a good sign. But we’re hopeful and praying for a quick recovery with whatever the diagnosis may be.” (Dansby Swanson on Acuna)
Up next
The Braves will look to end the first half of the season with a win Sunday, with righty Ian Anderson (5-4, 3.27) starting against Marlins righty Pablo Lopez (4-5, 2.94). The first pitch from Miami is set for 1:10 p.m.
