Young Braves roll past Phillies
PHILADELPHIA — Tucked in the corner of the visitors’ clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park, Ozzie Albies couldn’t button the cuff of his shirt. He called over Ronald Acuna Jr., and the two struggled for about a minute before completing the task.
While getting dressed up may still be a bit of a challenge, the two youngest players in the major leagues sure do have this baseball thing down.
The 20-year-old Acuna doubled twice and reached base four times to cap a successful first week in the majors, while the 21-year-old Albies hit the game’s first pitch for a homer and added a two-run double in the Atlanta Braves’ 10-1 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
“Ozzie is obviously doing some ridiculous things right now,” said Brandon McCarthy (4-0), who went 5 1/3 innings for his third win against Philadelphia this season. “And you’re seeing early how teams are already pitching to Acuna.”
About all Acuna did wrong was wipe out while rounding second base in the eighth inning, turning a sure triple into an RBI double. He walked twice, got the first stolen base of his MLB career and is hitting .421 (8-for19) since being called up.
It made Braves manager Brian Snitker look like a genius for adjusting his lineup. Albies led off in front of Acuna, and Ender Inciarte — dropped from first to ninth — tripled off Vince Velasquez (1-4) during a five-run third inning that included a three-run homer by Johan Camargo.
“I don’t know how long we’ll roll with it,” Snitker said of his new order. “But we probably will Tuesday. I kind of like it.”
After a day off, Atlanta will go for its fifth win in six games when it opens a road series against the New York Mets on Tuesday night.
McCarthy allowed one run and five hits while striking out six. All three of his victories against the Phillies have come at the expense of Velasquez, who has allowed 16 runs against the Braves.
Aaron Altherr had three hits and scored on Maikel Franco’s grounder in the fourth. The Phillies, who lost for the fourth time in their past six games, are 3-6 against Atlanta this season.
This one was decided early. Albies crushed a 93 mph fastball to right for his ninth homer, and Acuna doubled to right two pitches later in the first inning.
Inciarte tripled to right to lead off the decisive third that included Nick Markakis’ two-run single and the 24-year-old Camargo’s first homer, both coming with two outs.
“I liked the way we played today,” Albies said. “We’re just going out there and playing the game and getting ‘W’s. We’re having fun on the field.”
Braves left-handed pitcher Jesse Biddle, a Philadelphia native and former Phillies draft pick, doubled in a run off Luis Garcia in the ninth in his first plate appearance in the majors.
“I closed my eyes,” said Biddle, who threw two scoreless innings. “I got very lucky.”