Acuna Jr. and Olson Homer Led Marlins Loss Against Braves

Right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and first baseman Matt Olson homered before and after a rain delay and the Miami Marlins ’ offense was stagnant, outside of another late-inning spark, in an 11-3 loss against the Atlanta Braves .

The Marlins (58-58) get swept, revert to .500, and fall 3.5 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final National League Wild Card spot.

After a scoreless first two innings and facing two outs, the Braves’ offense started to pick up. Catcher Drake Baldwin singled, then Acuna Jr. slugged a two-run homer to left-center field. Marlins outfielders Herbierto Hernandez (left) and Eury Ruiz (center) collided going for the baseball. Despite waving each other off, the communication wasn’t clear on either side. The baseball was originally within the ballpark, but it bounced out of Ruiz’s gloves and into the stands.

It was Acuna Jr.’s 10th home run of the season. He swung on a sweeper and went 390 feet deep on a 103.8 exit velocity.

After an hour-plus-long rain delay, the game resumed.

Martin Perez didn’t return to the mound and the Braves called Tyler Kinley. With two outs on the board, designated hitter Agustin Ramirez got his first base hit since May 2. He singled on a slider down outside the strike zone. Despite Ramirez’s efforts, second baseman Xavier Edwards lined out to close the inning.

Similar to Perez, Janson Junk didn’t return to the mound and the Marlins called Tyler Zuber.

After walking second baseman Mauricio Dubon, he stole second and reached third on a throwing error by catcher Brian Navarreto.

The Braves were creeping on adding another run to the scoreboard, but Zuber closed the window by striking out third baseman Austin Riley.

Following a one-inning stint, the Marlins called John King from the bullpen. Despite putting three consecutive batters away in the fifth, the offense struggled to find any sort of life.

Meanwhile, Olson started to show off some power by fouling a first-pitch slider into the stands. In a 1-2 count, the four-time All-Star redeemed himself and slugged a solo homer 422 feet deep to center field.

King threw a changeup to the outside right corner of the strike zone, but Olson had no issue chasing it. Center fielder Michael Harris II followed up with a double, then he advanced to third off a Dubon single. Pinch hitter and left fielder Lane Thomas doubled on a first-pitch slider to drive in a run.

The Braves had two runners in scoring position, but King walked pinch hitter and designated hitter Ozzie Albies to load the bases. Victor Vodnik took over on the mound, but couldn’t get out of the jam. Riley’s sacrifice fly allowed Dubon to score another run, then Thomas reached home off an Edwards fielding error. The Braves took a 6-0 lead before leaving the sixth inning.

Starting the seventh, the “Fighting Fish” found a spark.

Danny Young walked Edwards and third baseman Leo Jimenez singled. Center fielder Javier Sanoja put the ball in play and drove in a run. The Marlins avoided a shutout, but the rally stayed alive. Right fielder Griffin Conine singled and Jimenez scored another run. Young threw a sweeper and hit Navarreto’s front-left knee.

The Marlins had the bases loaded, but Dylan Lee took over the mound and escaped the jam as All-Star shortstop Otto Lopez flied out to center field on a second-pitch changeup.

Despite allowing two runs, the Braves responded with five unanswered, including an Acuna Jr. solo homer, to secure the series sweep and an eighth consecutive win.

The Marlins return to LoanDepot Park for a weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels .

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →