Acuña helps Atlanta hammer Phillies 8-1
ATLANTA — Right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. had four hits — including a long, two-run, go-ahead homer — and made a leaping catch to support Charlie Morton’s six strong innings, leading the Atlanta Braves to an 8-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.
Morton (1-1) allowed one run on four hits, with the veteran right-hander striking out seven batters and walking one in Atlanta’s home opener.
Acuña’s fifth-inning blast off Zack Wheeler (1-1) traveled an estimated 456 feet, landing deep in the center-field seats behind the Braves bullpen for a 2-1 lead. He also had two doubles and an infield single.
Pinch hitter Ehire Adrianza connected for a three-run homer, and 2020 National League MVP Freddie Freeman added a two-run shot as Atlanta’s hitters shook off a slow start to the season. The Braves were held to a combined three runs while being swept in a threegame series at Philadelphia to open the season.
Leading 3-1, Morton escaped the sixth inning with runners on first and third when Acuña made a leaping catch of Alec Bohm’s drive at the warning track in right.
Morton, 37, won his first home start with Atlanta since his 2008 rookie season. He returned to Atlanta as a free agent after 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays.
Adrianza was reinstated from the restricted list before the game. His homer off Brandon Kintzler in the sixth drove in Austin Riley and Cristian Pache, who reached on errors by Bohm at third base. Freeman’s homer off
David Hale in the eighth pushed the lead to 8-1.
After the homer by Acuña, Wheeler gave up Ozzie Albies’ double to right field and, two outs later, Travis d’Arnaud’s run-scoring single to left field.
Phillies manager Joe Girardi then went to the mound. Though pitching coach Caleb Cotham was out for a chat with Wheeler minutes earlier, Girardi didn’t appear to realize it marked the second visit of the inning and Wheeler had to be removed. Girardi turned to head back to the dugout before being called back to the mound by the umpires to make the mandatory pitching change.
Wheeler, who threw 94 pitches, allowed three runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Andrew McCutchen’s run-scoring single in the third gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead.
The Braves won in front a crowd of 14,302. They are allowing about one-third of the seats at Truist Park to be used in their first homestand. They plan to expand that to 50% in their next homestand.
The Braves wore their 1974 uniforms to honor Hall of Famers Phil Niekro and Hank Aaron. The numbers 35 and 44 are stitched on the back of the Braves’ caps this season to honor Niekro and Aaron, respectively, who both died this past winter. Aaron’s 44 was painted on the outfield grass.