Ronald Acuña sparked a late rally as the Braves defeated the Marlins, 6-4, on Friday at Truist Park.

Atlanta is 22-24.

Here are five observations:

1. As Acuna headed from the dugout to the batter’s box, with the announcement of his arrival blasting over the PA system, a sold-out crowd roared. He had not been on deck, so no one knew he would appear in this spot.

“I was sitting there thinking, ‘God, we run him out there, this place is going to go nuts,’” Braves manager Brian Snitker later said.

Acuña, who has battled a right quad strain, returned to action in the seventh inning.

He immediately made his presence known, just as he always has when he’s been in the lineup this season.

Facing reliever Anthony Bass, whom the Marlins summoned specifically because Acuña was pinch-hitting, the superstar outfielder smacked a double to left field that scored Matt Olson to tie the game. Once again, the outfielder sparked the Braves, who eventually scored three runs in the inning.

“I think that’s just the kind of energy you learn to have,” Acuña said through interpreter Franco García. “It’s your own style of playing and, for me, I think it’s the energy that I try to bring to the ballpark every day, and I hope that energy transfers or is contagious to your teammates.”

2. Two batters after the Braves tied the game, Ozzie Albies blooped a ball into left field. Acuña scored easily. Dansby Swanson appeared to notice that his former teammate, Jorge Soler, hesitated when he picked up the ball, so Swanson raced around third and scored.

The Braves took a two-run lead. Yet again, they had mounted a rally that showed you how dangerous they could be when everything clicks.

Olson led off the three-run inning with a walk. After Acuña’s double, Swanson drew a walk before Albies scored him. The Braves moved the line and collected the big hits.

The Braves will take wins. But winning this way, with late rallies, could be important.

“It’s huge,” said Ian Anderson, who started the game. “We’ve kind of built our identity on that and that’s why it’s important to stay in ballgames. You never know with the offense that we have. We could go cold for five or six innings and then break out. Just keep the team in the game and we know we have the pedigree to come back, and that gives us a ton of excitement and encouragement.”

3. In this victory, the Braves scored four two-out runs. They also collected three hits with runners in scoring position.

In the fifth inning, Travis Demeritte tallied one of them when his two-out single scored William Contreras, who had doubled. The final three two-out runs came in that seventh-inning rally. (And with that hit, Demeritte snapped an 0-for-34 skid).

Of the two-out runs, Snitker said: “I don’t know if it demoralizes an opponent as much as it pumps up your team that’s doing it. It’s kind of like those guys keep the line moving, and it’s big.”

4. Marlins left-hander Trevor Rogers took a perfect game into the fifth. Then the Braves struck.

Austin Riley ended the perfecto with a 417-foot blast to lead off the inning. Contreras hit a run-scoring double that plated Travis d’Arnaud, who had doubled himself. Then Demeritte added onto the lead.

Rogers had shut down the Braves to that point, but they suddenly led by three runs.

Atlanta used two big innings in the win.

“That’s huge,” Snitker said. “That’s a really, really good ballgame to come back and win. And I don’t know, I kind of felt good that if we had to give up four, at least we were just down by one with all the at-bats that we had left.”

Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna, facing, and shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) celebrate their runs scored off of a double by second baseman Ozzie Albies (not pictured) during the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins at Truist Park Friday, May 27, 2022, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

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Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

5. Before the game, the Braves told Acuña to be ready and stay loose. If the right opportunity presented itself, they could use him.

He ran the bases before the game and the Braves were encouraged with how he looked. They “exhausted” Acuña a bit to test his quad, which is why he couldn’t start. But Snitker went into the game knowing he could deploy Acuña as a weapon at some point in the later stages.

After his clutch RBI in the seventh inning, he played two innings in right field.

“You know me, I’m always ready to play,” he said after the game.

Snitker was unsure if Acuña, who missed the two previous games, will be in Saturday’s lineup.

Stat to know

3-for-6: Acuña is 3-for-6 as a pinch-hitter in his career.

Quotable

“That was awesome. It’s got to kind of be that, next-man-up, be-ready mentality. We’ve kind of figured that out over the last couple years. For him to come in in a situation (that), quite frankly, he’s not really familiar with and get that hit is huge.” - Anderson on Acuña

Up next

Saturday’s game begins at 4:10 p.m. Atlanta lefty Tucker Davidson will face Miami righty Sandy Alcantara, who tossed a complete game versus the Braves in his last start.

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