May 2, 2024
DETROIT (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have a relentless lineup from top to bottom, posing problems for opponents.
Eddie Rosario hit a tiebreaking home run in the sixth inning and Atlanta held on to beat the Detroit Tigers 6-5 Wednesday night and sweep a doubleheader.
Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna Jr. had solo homers for the NL-East leading Braves, who scored in five of the first six innings in the second game.
In Atlanta's 10-7 win earlier in the day, Michael Harris went 4 for 4 with a homer and four RBIs while Acuna Jr. had three hits, including a homer, and drove in three runs.
“Everyone in the lineup is doing something and it can be really scary for other teams,” Harris said. “Every game, a different guy is going out and doing something special.
Acuna was a difference-maker all day.
The three-time All-Star outfielder hit his 15th homer in the third inning of the second game, sending it 461 feet to center into an ivy-covered wall that is usually out of reach.
Acuna now has 11 homers of 460 or more feet in his career. That's the second most by any player since Statcast started tracking it in 2015. Only Giancarlo Stanton has more with 18.
“I heard someone say no one has hit it up there before,” Harris said. “He’s doing a lot of things that other players haven’t done, or can’t do."
Collin McHugh (3-0) pitched three perfect innings after starter Dylan Dodd allowed five runs on six hits and three walks over four innings in the second game.
Joe Jiménez, who pitched in Detroit in his first six seasons, had an eight-pitch eighth inning and retired the first two batters in the ninth. A.J. Minter struck out pinch-hitter for the final out and his 10th save.
Michael Lorenzen (2-4) gave up six runs on nine hits over six innings.
Andy Ibanez, Matt Vierling and Jake Rogers also cleared the fences in the second game, pulling Detroit into a 5-all tie after five innings of the second game.
In the opener, Atlanta ace Spencer Strider (7-2) picked up the win despite giving up five runs and seven hits in five innings of the opener. The right-hander gave up three homers, walked two, hit a batter and struck out six to increase his major-league leading total to 127 this season.
“I wasn’t very good, and we won the game, that’s what matters," Strider said. “So, credit to everybody else."
Tigers rookie Reese Olson (0-2) gave up seven runs — six earned — on five hits and two walks over three innings.
Detroit got off to a powerful start in the afternoon when Spencer Torkelson hit a 436-foot homer to left-center that went off the brick wall beyond the fence.
Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer, his first of the year and No. 508 of his career, and Haase in the next at-bat had a solo shot that gave the Tigers a 4-0 lead.
The cushion didn't last long.
Acuna hit a two-run homer in the third and later in the game, the speedy outfielder stole his NL-leading 29th base.
“He’s an electrifying player," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “It’s scary when he gets up. He can do everything on the field. It’s good for the game. It’s not good when you play him.”
Harris hit a tiebreaking, two-run double to put Atlanta ahead in a five-run inning that gave the Braves a 7-4 lead. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year, who has turned around his season offensively over the last week, hit his fifth homer in the seventh to restore a three-run lead.
“They’re unafraid and there’s no defensiveness to them when they’re in the batter’s box,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “It starts at the top with Acuna and they’re a threat from pitch one. Their offense is built with balance. They have power throughout.
“They have a certain flair and freedom that they play with that usually comes with teams that believe they can win.”
