Acuna brothers finally face each other but both weren't in starting lineup
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ATLANTA — Ronald Acuña and his little brother Luisangel are going to wait until a game in which both are in the starting lineup for a friendly wager on the outcome.
But Tuesday was significant for the brothers in that it marked the first time both were active MLB players for teams that opposed each other.
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Ronald Acuña was the Braves leadoff hitter, with Luisangel on the bench for the Mets.
'I am so happy to see him in the major leagues,' Ronald Acuña told The Post before the Braves rallied to beat the Mets 5-4 in 10 innings.
The elder Acuña missed most of last season rehabbing from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
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That included in late September, when Luisangel was the Mets starting shortstop for two games at Truist Park.
'I have been hoping for this moment and last year he was hurt so we didn't get this opportunity,' Luisangel Acuña said through an interpreter before the series opener between the two teams. 'Now that he's finally back and I am here as well, it's a dream come true.'
Ronald Acuña celebrates after the Braves' 5-4, 10-inning win over the Mets on
June 17, 2025.
AP
The younger Acuña's playing time has mostly occurred lately as a defensive replacement — as was the case on Tuesday — and pinch runner as manager Carlos Mendoza juggles infielders.
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Luisangel Acuña began the night with a .591 OPS and 11 stolen bases.
'When you play good, and you play good every day, they need to find a spot in the lineup for you,' Ronald Acuña said. 'He needs to do his job and play good baseball.'
Luisangel Acuña, playing against the Diamondbacks earlier in the season, came in as a defensive replacement but did not get an at-bat in the Mets' loss to the Braves.
Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
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Brett Baty indicated his right groin was showing improvement, after he left Sunday's game with tightness.
Baty, who was absent from the starting lineup — with Ronny Mauricio at third base and Jeff McNeil at second — was set to test the groin during pregame drills.
Mark Vientos was in the starting lineup for Triple-A Syracuse as the DH — his first minor league rehab appearance since he was placed on the injured list two weeks ago with a strained right hamstring.
Mendoza said he wasn't surprised the Braves, who began the day 13 games behind the Mets for first place in the NL East, rearranged their starting rotation for this series.
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Chris Sale and Spencer Strider are scheduled to pitch Wednesday and Thursday, respectively for the Braves.
Another top pitcher, Spencer Schwellenbach, was the team's scheduled starter for the series opener on Tuesday.
'These are important games for them and important games for us,' Mendoza said. 'Every game counts so I wasn't surprised at all.'
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New York Times
40 minutes ago
- New York Times
Ronald Acuña Jr., Marcell Ozuna come through in Braves' much-needed walk-off win over Mets
ATLANTA — Fresh off winning NL Player of the Week and being the only Atlanta Braves player prominent in the first All-Star fan voting update, Ronald Acuña Jr. was asked Tuesday afternoon to assess his team's situation as it pertained to the standings and the trade deadline looming in six weeks. If 'dire' or 'desperate' are the words that would come to mind for some of us, they were not for Acuña as the Braves prepared to face the NL East-leading New York Mets for the first of seven games between the teams in a 10-day stretch that could go a long way in determining if there's hope for Atlanta. Advertisement 'Obviously, these games are important, so we're going to do everything we can to win,' Acuña said through an interpreter a few hours before he and the Braves did precisely that in a thrilling 5-4 walk-off win at Truist Park. The win was aided by Acuña's spectacular ninth-inning catch of a Pete Alonso fly ball to start a double play, and ended with Austin Riley's walk-off sacrifice fly to the center-field wall in the 10th inning. 'That was huge,' Riley said after the Braves snapped a string of 10 consecutive losses in one-run games. 'Some guys had some really, really big moments tonight.' None bigger than Marcell Ozuna's two-out, three-run double in the eighth inning off reliever Reed Garrett, which erased a 4-1 deficit. 'Incredible,' Acuña said of that hit and how it changed the vibe inside the ballpark and the home dugout. 'He was able to drive in the runs that we needed, and the dugout echoed that type of energy and that enthusiasm.' 'Yeah, I told (Ozuna) I love a team sport,' joked Riley, who had flied out for the second out before Ozuna came through. 'Obviously, not being able to get it done right there, and then he came up with a big hit. That's what he's there to do, and I feel like he's real calm in those moments and, like I said, a huge win for us.' Juan Soto hit a two-out homer in the first inning off Spencer Schwellenbach and the Mets had the 4-1 lead behind starter David Peterson, before the Braves rallied in the eighth, beginning with a Nick Allen leadoff walk and Acuña's single that chased Peterson from the game. An Eli White single loaded the bases with none out, and two batters later, Ozuna cleared them. In the ninth, the Mets got a Soto leadoff single before Alonso's fly ball that looked like it would bounce high off the right-field wall. That is, until Acuña raced back, timed his leap perfectly and caught it before hitting the wall. He landed on his feet and quickly fired a throw to first base to double up Soto, who didn't think Acuña caught it and had ventured too far to second base. Advertisement '(Soto) is in no-man's land,' Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. Acuña makes a hell of a play.' Riley said, 'Pete's a strong, strong man. I really didn't think it was going to carry as far as he did, but it ended up doing that, and just an unbelievable catch. Unbelievable. And to be able to make a heads-up play to get the ball back in to double him off right there, that was huge.' The Braves have won five of seven since a 3-14 skid. And though they still trail the Mets by 12 games and the second-place Philadelphia Phillies by 10, the mood was much brighter in their clubhouse after this win. 'Satisfying and thrilling, all of them — all the adjectives,' Braves manager Brian Snitker said. 'A lot of really good things. That's a big win, obviously. We were talking about it earlier in the day; it's a big series. They're all big now, because we created that (situation), so that's a good one to start off on.' Tyrone Taylor had a two-run bloop double in the second inning and a solo homer in the fourth off Schwellenbach for the 4-1 lead, but the Braves came to life in the eighth with Ozuna's double, which, combined with Acuña's catch, changed the entire complexion of the game. VOTE. RONALD. 🌟 🌟 — Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 18, 2025 Acuña was activated from the injured list on May 23 after a year-long rehabilitation from ACL surgery on his left knee, three years after surgery for a torn ACL in his right knee. With two surgically scarred knees and after a year away, it didn't take Acuña long to reclaim his position as the best player on the Braves and one of the best in baseball. He did that by hitting a 467-foot home run on the first pitch he saw, leading off his first game back May 23. And he's not slowed down, playing every game and batting .392 with seven home runs, a .495 OBP – he also had three walks Tuesday — and .696 slugging percentage in 22 games. Advertisement Acuña's robust offense — he hit .619 (13-for-21) with three homers to win NL Player of the Week — has been accompanied by strong defense and some of the best throws he's ever made. And by the energy that teammates say has been as important as anything else he's provided. 'It's been great,' Snitker said. 'The fact that he wants to play every day and how well he's done has been phenomenal. Everything's went about as good or better than we could have planned.' So far, there has been none of the residual soreness Acuña dealt with after coming back in 2022 from his first knee surgery. There's just been pure Acuña, playing with joy and displaying talent and skill rarely seen in a Braves uniform — or any uniform. And playing smart, too. When Acuña drew a leadoff walk in the first inning Tuesday, White followed by grounding to first baseman Alonso, who threw to shortstop Francisco Lindor. Instead of getting in a rundown and stressing his knees, Acuña stood stationary and was tagged. The Braves' training and medical staff, and Snitker, liked seeing that. As for the July 31 trade deadline, the Braves need to get closer in the standings if they hope for president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos to add some needed pieces rather than stand pat or even be sellers for the first time in a long time for a team that's made seven consecutive postseasons. 'It's like we've been saying, we've just got to start winning,' Acuña said. 'We've got to start doing a better job. Obviously, we want to be buyers and not sellers at the trade deadline. I think for us, it's up to us to just continue to be positive and believe in ourselves, and bring the same mentality every day to just start getting on a roll a little bit.' Eli White hit second for the Braves on Tuesday, and that said plenty about where things stand with their offense and why they eagerly await the return of Jurickson Profar in two weeks following his 80-game PED suspension. Advertisement Profar began a minor league rehab assignment — yes, MLB still calls it that in this case, unironically — with Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday and went 2-for-3 with two singles, a sacrifice fly and a walk in five plate appearances. He led off and played the entire game in a 6-3 loss at Charlotte. Profar, the Braves' only significant free-agent addition last winter, signed a three-year, $42 million contract, then played just four games before being slapped with the suspension that will keep him out of the playoffs even if he were to help the Braves claw their way back into a postseason berth. That's the rule with PED suspensions. The switch-hitting veteran was signed to play left field for the Braves, and Profar will take over that spot once he's back. The Braves have had dreadful production in left field, with four players (including Profar's four games) combining to post a .554 OPS before Tuesday that ranked 29th in the majors at the position. White became the sixth player to bat second, a spot that Snitker expects Profar to handle once he's activated on July 2. Those six players have a collective .716 OPS that ranks 22nd in the majors for 2-hole hitters. 'Just keep scrambling the puzzle to try and lengthen the lineup,' Snitker said of batting White there Tuesday. 'I sit there and I put it together, trying to find the mix pretty much. Against a lefty, hopefully with his speed and things like that … 'I don't know if there's any right or wrong right now as we're trying to just gain some consistency.' He hopes Profar will provide that. 'I was excited about just the versatility that he brings and where you could hit him, and the fact that he's a switch hitter,' said Snitker, who batted Profar in the leadoff spot before the suspension and had planned to keep him there until Acuña returned from the IL. Advertisement Now with Acuña back atop the order, Snitker said, 'We've kind of been struggling to find that number two guy behind Ronnie. I think (Profar) fits that hole. We'll see when he gets back where he's at and everything, but I just think he definitely could help to make this lineup a lot longer than what it is right now.' (Top photo of Ronald Acuña Jr. and Alex Verdugo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Riley's sacrifice fly in 10th inning caps Braves' comeback for 5-4 win over Mets
ATLANTA — Austin Riley hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to deep center field in the 10th inning, lifting the Atlanta Braves to a 5-4 comeback win over the New York Mets on Tuesday night. Marcell Ozuna tied the score with a three-run double in the eighth, and the Braves rebounded from a 10-1 loss at home Sunday to lowly Colorado. Atlanta has won four of five. New York, which leads the NL East, has dropped four in a row for the first time this season. Luke Williams opened the bottom of the 10th on second as the automatic runner. He scampered to third on a wild pitch from Huascar Brazobán (3-2) when catcher Francisco Alvarez made an ill-advised throw to second with Williams hung up between bases. Brazobán walked Matt Olson to load the bases, and Riley's flyball allowed Williams to score easily. Raisel Iglesias (4-5) pitched a perfect inning for the win. Tyrone Taylor homered and drove in three runs, and Juan Soto also homered as the Mets built a 4-1 lead. Soto singled in the ninth off Dylan Lee but was doubled off first base after Ronald Acuña Jr. caught Pete Alonzo's drive at the right-field wall. The first pitch was delayed 56 minutes by rain. The Braves loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth with three singles off starter David Peterson and reliever Reed Garrett. Olson struck out against Garrett, and Riley hit a pop fly to shallow right field before Ozuna's double off Garrett tied the game. According to research from the Elias Sports Bureau provided by the Braves, their 71st game of the season was the latest they've played their first game against a division opponent in 25 years. During the 2000 season, they played their first game against the Montreal Expos in their 76st game. Braves left-hander Chris Sale (4-4, 2.79 ERA) will face Mets right-hander Paul Blackburn (0-0, 6.75) on Wednesday night. Sale had his scheduled start Sunday against Colorado pushed back so he would be available against the Mets. ___ AP MLB:
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
Mets aim to break skid in matchup with the Braves
New York Mets (45-28, first in the NL East) vs. Atlanta Braves (32-39, third in the NL East) Atlanta; Wednesday, 7:15 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Mets: Paul Blackburn (0-0, 6.75 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, six strikeouts); Braves: Chris Sale (4-4, 2.79 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 107 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Braves -182, Mets +151; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The New York Mets enter the matchup with the Atlanta Braves after losing four straight games. Atlanta has a 32-39 record overall and a 20-15 record in home games. The Braves have a 22-4 record in games when they scored at least five runs. New York has a 45-28 record overall and an 18-18 record in road games. The Mets have the eighth-ranked team batting average in the NL at .247. The teams meet Wednesday for the second time this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Marcell Ozuna has eight doubles, 11 home runs and 38 RBIs while hitting .257 for the Braves. Ronald Acuna is 16 for 34 with a double and three home runs over the past 10 games. Pete Alonso leads the Mets with a .296 batting average, and has 22 doubles, a triple, 17 home runs, 35 walks and 63 RBIs. Juan Soto is 14 for 35 with three home runs and six RBIs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Braves: 5-5, .244 batting average, 3.36 ERA, outscored opponents by seven runs Mets: 6-4, .261 batting average, 3.75 ERA, outscored opponents by eight runs INJURIES: Braves: Daysbel Hernandez: 15-Day IL (arm), AJ Smith-Shawver: 60-Day IL (calf/elbow), Reynaldo Lopez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Joe Jimenez: 60-Day IL (knee) Mets: Tylor Megill: 15-Day IL (elbow), Brett Baty: day-to-day (groin), Kodai Senga: 15-Day IL (hamstring), Brooks Raley: 60-Day IL (elbow), Mark Vientos: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Jesse Winker: 10-Day IL (side), Danny Young: 60-Day IL (elbow), A.J. Minter: 60-Day IL (lat), Frankie Montas: 60-Day IL (lat), Sean Manaea: 60-Day IL (oblique), Jose Siri: 10-Day IL (shin), Nick Madrigal: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Drew Smith: 60-Day IL (elbow), Christian Scott: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
