The Atlanta Braves made a change to Ronald Acuna Jr. before their series finale against the New York Mets.
Atlanta announced that Acuna is back in right field after he served as DH in the second game of a three-game series. Along with going back in right field, Acuna is once again leading off.
The Braves lineup for the series finale on Wednesday is as follows:
- R. Acuña Jr. RF
- D. Baldwin DH
- M. Olson 1B
- O. Albies 2B
- M. Harris II CF
- M. Dubón SS
- L. Thomas LF
- A. Riley 3B
- S. Murphy C
Acuna is hitting .239 with 12 home runs and 29 RBIs this season with the Braves, as he’s appeared in just 68 games due to injuries.
Atlanta is looking for the series win after winning the second game of the series by a score of 4-0.
Braves Shut Out Mets to Even Up Series
Atlanta lost the first game of the series on Monday before evening it up on Tuesday.
Veteran left-hander Martin Perez went 6 scoreless innings to continue his scoreless streak to 18 innings en route to Atlanta’s 4-0 win. It was a stellar win for the Braves and manager Walt Weiss was thrilled with Perez’s outing.
“It’s really cool to see a guy like Martín being rewarded,” Weiss said. “It’s always good when the good ones in this game get rewarded by the game. It takes a lot of hard work and everything else he puts into it. But he’s been huge for us.”
Perez also helped stabilize the rotation amid Atlanta’s injuries. But, the team is starting to get healthier as Reynaldo López and AJ Smith-Shawver are both close to returning.
“In a minute here, we could have some pretty good options, more options,” Weiss said.
It’s a good problem for the Braves, especially heading into the playoffs, as teams can never have enough pitching.
Weiss Praises Acuna
Although Acuna has missed plenty of time this season due to a hamstring injury, he’s been solid since returning from injury.
Last week after the Miami Marlins game, Weiss shared some praise for Acuna and the way he’s swinging the bat.
“Yeah, he got a little help there [on the first one],” said Walt Weiss. “But swinging the bat good, he’s hit some balls hard. You know, the second homer, it didn’t go all that far, but he’s got that ability to go opposite field, and even when he doesn’t click it real good, it can still go. He went to the short part of the park I understand, but I mean it was high; his opposite-field power is insane. So, even when he doesn’t get it all, he still hits it out.”
If the Braves are going to go on a deep playoff run, they will need Acuna to continue to be an impactful hitter at the plate.
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