Ronald Acuña Jr. homers for 2nd straight game in return to lineup as Braves beat Padres 7-1
ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. homered for the second straight game in his return from a nearly year-long absence due to a knee injury, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 7-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Saturday.
Acuña homered on the first pitch he saw in his season debut Friday. On Saturday, he hit a 411-foot, two-run shot to left field in the sixth inning, going 1 for 5. The 27-year-old is 3 for 9 in his two games back after missing the previous 161 games due to a torn ACL in his left knee.
Atlanta's win halted a seven-game skid against the Padres that included a two-game sweep in last season's National League playoffs.
Matt Olson hit his fifth homer in seven games for the Braves, who took advantage of an unexpected bullpen game from the Padres after starter Michael King was scratched less than an hour game time due to shoulder stiffness.
Grant Holmes (3-3) gave up one run in seven innings, his fifth quality start in 10 chances this season. The 29-year-old right-hander gave up six hits, a walk and struck out six.
Padres third baseman Manny Machado, who won Friday's game with a homer in the ninth inning, went 2 for 2 with an RBI and two walks.
Padres starter Sean Reynolds (0-1) worked 2 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on six hits, including Olson's home run. Reynolds threw a season-high 57 pitches as the Padres lost for the seventh time in eight games.
Key moment
With the Braves leading 3-1 in the sixth inning, Machado and Jackson Merrill reached to open the inning. Holmes struck out Xander Bogaerts and retired Gavin Sheets and Jake Croneworth to get out of the jam.
Key stat
Braves rookie Drake Baldwin is hitting .488 in May (20 for 41) with three home runs and nine RBIs after going 3 for 4 with a walk.
Up next
Braves RHP Spencer Schwellenbach (3-3, 3.52) will face Padres RHP Dylan Cease (1-3, 4.50) in the finale of the three-game series Sunday.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
30 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Nolan Schanuel's first career walk-off hit gives Angels 2-1 10-inning win over Athletics
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Nolan Schanuel hit a single into shallow center field in the 10th inning for the first walk-off hit of his career to drive in Jo Adell and give the Los Angeles Angels a 2-1 win over the Athletics on Tuesday night. Reid Detmers (2-2) struck out two of three batters to strand the automatic runner in the top of the 10th. Hogan Harris (1-1) took the loss for the A's, who have lost 22 of 26 games. The Angels trailed 1-0 in the bottom of the eighth when Travis d'Arnaud hit A's left-hander T.J. McFarland's first pitch for a pinch-hit homer and a 1-1 tie. Angels starter José Soriano allowed one run and two hits and struck out a career-best 12 in seven innings. He walked two. He threw a career-high 110 pitches, 71 for strikes, and induced 22 swinging strikes. The A's Mitch Spence, making his second start since being moved from the bullpen, gave up three hits, struck out four and walked none in five scoreless innings. Soriano was virtually untouchable through five no-hit innings in which he racked up nine strikeouts and walked one. He lost his no-hit bid in the sixth when Brent Rooker drove an RBI double to left-center field just beyond the reach of a diving Adell for a 1-0 A's lead. Key Moment Veteran right-hander Hunter Strickland, who signed a minor league deal on May 6, escaped a runner-on-second, no-out jam in the eighth and has not allowed a run in 11 innings over nine appearances with the Angels. Key Stat D'Arnaud's eighth-inning shot was the second pinch-hit homer of his career. His first came for the Atlanta Braves against the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 4, 2021. Up Next Athletics LHP JP Sears (5-5, 5.21 ERA) will oppose Angels RHP Kyle Hendricks (2-6, 5.34 ERA) in Wednesday's series finale. ___ AP MLB:
Associated Press
35 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Gabriel Moreno's 3-run homer leads the Diamondbacks in 10-3 win over the Mariners
PHOENIX (AP) — Gabriel Moreno hit a three-run homer, Corbin Carroll added a pair of triples and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Seattle Mariners 10-3 on Tuesday night. The D-backs have won the first two games of the series and will go for the sweep on Wednesday. Arizona scored five runs in the sixth inning off righty Trent Thornton to push their lead to 9-2. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. started the inning with a single, Pavin Smith walked and Moreno followed with a line drive shot into the left field seats for his fifth homer of the season. Alek Thomas reached base four times on a walk, two singles and a solo homer. He also had a stolen base and scored four times. Gurriel added a solo homer and Carroll took over the major league triples lead with eight. Brandon Pfaadt (8-4) threw five scoreless innings before giving up back-to-back homers to Randy Arozarena and Rowdy Tellez beginning the sixth, cutting the D-backs' advantage to 4-2. That ended Pfaadt's night. Seattle's Logan Evans (3-2) gave up four runs, seven hits and two walks over five innings. The right-hander struck out five. Tellez, Julio Rodriguez, Cole Young and Jorge Polanco all had two hits. Both teams had stellar defensive plays in the early innings. Arozarena, playing left field, threw out Perdomo at home in the first thanks to an excellent scoop on a tricky hop and then an accurate throw. Gurriel countered in third, robbing Cal Raleigh of an extra-base hit — and potentially a homer — when he made a leaping catch at the left field wall. Key moment The game was still tight in the sixth when Tayler Scott — making his D-backs debut — recorded three outs to stop Seattle's rally. Key stat Carroll has eight triples this season to lead the majors. He's the only player in D-backs history to have multiple games with two triples. Up next The D-backs send LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (1-3, 6.70 ERA) to the mound on Wednesday while the Mariners counter with RHP Bryan Woo (3-5, 3.07). ___ AP MLB:
Associated Press
40 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Manny Machado's 5 RBIs lead Padres' 11-1 rout of pitching-poor Dodgers
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Manny Machado had three hits and drove in five runs, Luis Arraez had three hits and scored four times, and the San Diego Padres capitalized on the Los Angeles Dodgers' lack of major league pitchers for an 11-1 victory Tuesday night. Dylan Cease (2-5) struck out 11 and yielded three hits over seven scoreless innings while ending his 11-start winless streak for the Padres, who dominated a bizarre game in this rivalry series. The Dodgers won the clubs' season opener 8-7 in a 10-inning thriller Monday, but the second game was barely competitive due to the defending World Series champions' pitching woes. The Dodgers have 14 pitchers on the injured list, and they handed this game over to Matt Sauer (1-1), who had been recalled from the minors to provide bulk innings. The Dodgers stuck to their plan even though Sauer struggled, allowing him to throw 111 pitches while giving up nine runs on 13 hits. Utilityman Kiké Hernández then pitched the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and one earned run while throwing no pitch faster than 57 mph. Cease issued five walks, but he also prevented the Dodgers' high-powered lineup from making it a game despite LA's pitching woes. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third. Martín Maldonado hit the Padres' only homer. Xander Bogaerts had a two-run single, and Jackson Merrill had an RBI triple. San Diego went up 11-0 in the seventh on Machado's two-run single. Michael Conforto got an RBI single for the Dodgers in the eighth. Key moment The Padres mounted their first rally with two outs in the third. Fernando Tatís Jr. drew a walk and scored on Arraez's double to right. Machado singled home Arraez, extending his hitting streak to eight games, before scoring on Merrill's triple to right. Key stat Machado's five RBIs matched his career high. Up next San Diego's Randy Vásquez (3-4, 3.69 ERA) faces Justin Wrobleski (1-2, 7.20), who also is in the Dodgers' rotation solely because of injuries. ___ AP MLB:
