Freddie Freeman homered and drove in three runs, leading the Atlanta Braves to Saturday’s 5-4 win over the host Miami Marlins that was marred by an injury to Ronald Acuna Jr.
Acuna, Atlanta’s All-Star right fielder, was carted off the field in the fifth inning after he suffered an injury to his right knee. The severity of the injury was not immediately announced. Acuna was hurt while chasing after what became Jazz Chisholm’s inside-the-park homer.
Freeman, who went 2-for-4, has two homers in two games in this series and 35 for his career against the Marlins.
Max Fried (6-5) earned the win despite allowing nine hits, one walk and three runs in five innings.
Atlanta’s bullpen thrived as A.J. Minter, Chris Martin and Luke Jackson each pitched one scoreless inning. Will Smith allowed one run in the ninth but held on for his 18th save in 20 chances this year.
Marlins All-Star Trevor Rogers (7-6) took the loss. The National League Rookie of the Year frontrunner lasted just four innings, allowing four hits, two walks and three runs (two earned).
Atlanta opened the scoring with an unearned run in the third. Jonathan Lucroy drew a walk, advanced on Rogers’ errant pickoff attempt and scored on Freeman’s line-drive single to center.
Miami took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third. Miguel Rojas singled and Garrett Cooper walked to set up the rally. After a wild pitch advanced Rojas to third and Cooper to second, both runners scored on Adam Duvall’s single.
Atlanta recaptured the lead, 3-2, in the fourth on a rally set up by Austin Riley’s double and Orlando Arcia’s single. Dansby Swanson’s double down the left-field line drove home Riley, and Arcia scored on Guillermo Heredia’s sacrifice fly.
The Braves made it 5-2 in the fifth on Freeman’s homer, which was preceded by Acuna’s double. Freeman’s homer traveled 400 feet to right-center.
Miami cut its deficit to 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth on Chisholm’s inside-the-park homer, which happened after Acuna chased the flyball toward the right-field corner. Acuna jumped up and landed awkwardly before crumbling to the dirt.
The Marlins went on to load the bases with one out in the fifth but Fried struck out Jon Berti and Jorge Alfaro to extinguish Miami’s threat.
In the ninth, Magneuris Sierra singled, advanced on a groundout and scored on Chisholm’s two-out single. But Cooper flied out to end the game.
–Field Level Media