*Photo from Battery Power*
There might not be anyone capable of slowing down the Atlanta Braves right now. Travis D'Arnaud homered, Ronald Acuna Jr homered twice, and the Atlanta Braves defeated the St. Louis Cardinals with a 8-5 victory on Thursday night in Atlanta.
The Braves hit 5 home runs to reach 270 on the season. They have a 14 game lead on the NL East and have the division all but won. Acuna Jr was the star, inching closer to a 40 homer, 40 steal season, which would be the 5th in AL/NL history. It was his 3rd multi homer game this season.
Braves pitcher Max Fried said of Acuna that "I’ve been playing with Ronald since 2016, and at this point, nothing really surprises me anymore. He’s that talented, and he’s that good. He’s always been capable of doing it, but to actually have the season he’s having so far and to come so close to that accomplishment, doesn’t surprise me, but it’s also extremely impressive. He can get as hot as anyone."
Acuna Jr started the scoring with a solo home run in the first, his 33rd of the season. Eddie Rosario then hit a two run single to make it 3-0 Braves. In the second, Jordan Walker scored on a hit by pitch and Tommy Edman hit a two run single, tying the game 3-3. Matt Olson hit a solo home run in the 5th followed by Michael Harris II in the 6th to make it 5-3 Braves.
Later in the 6th, Acuna Jr hit his second home run of the night to make it 6-3. In the 7th inning, D'Arnaud clubbed a two run home run to make the score 8-3. It stayed that way until Masyn Winn hit an RBI single in the 9th to trim the deficit to 8-4. Nolan Gorman then scored on a sac fly to make it an 8-5 final.
Acuna Jr said of nearing a 40-40 season that "Everything is possible. 40-40 was never the goal. But now that it's within sight, it would be nice. But with the season being at the end and the numbers being where they are, it feels like we’re getting tight and running out of time."
Fried got the start for the Braves, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and two walks over 6 innings, striking out 4 hitters. Pierce Johnson and AJ Minter pitched a scoreless inning each before Raisel Iglesias allowed two runs in the 9th.
Adam Wainwright allowed 6 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks over 5 2/3 innings, getting tagged with the loss. Jacob Barnes allowed two runs while working one inning. Matthew Liberatore worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Wainwright said after the game that "After the first inning today, I felt like we were going to win that game. Last game, I thought we were going to win. In Pittsburgh, I really thought we were going to win that one. And against the Mets, six innings and three runs, I felt like we had a chance to win that one, too. So, we’re close, but I don’t know."
The Braves stay at home and take on the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night, with Bryce Elder expected to start. The Cardinals travel to face the Cincinnati Reds on Friday, with Drew Rom set to be the starter.
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