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<\/p>\nMIAMI \u2014 If Atlanta Braves fans held their breath when Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. was taken out of Thursday\u2019s 9-3 win over the Miami Marlins because of thumb pain, that\u2019s totally understandable. Acu\u00f1a just returned from the injured list this week, plus offensive catalyst Drake Baldwin was sidelined with an oblique strain two days ago.<\/p>\n
It appears Braves fans can breathe easy. Although he had been unable to move his left thumb, X-rays came back negative not long after he was replaced in the bottom of the sixth inning. Afterward, he already expected to be in the lineup when the Braves open a series with the Washington Nationals at Truist Park on Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t have to convince Walt (Weiss, the manager),\u201d Acu\u00f1a said in Spanish. \u201cOr else we would have four outfielders playing in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
Acu\u00f1a recently missed two weeks with a hamstring strain, but his absence didn\u2019t keep the Braves from winning games. A strong offense, powered in part by Baldwin, helped them maintain the best record in the majors.<\/p>\n
With Baldwin now on the injured list, Acu\u00f1a\u2019s presence is even more\u00a0crucial.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of excitement when he\u2019s in the game,\u201d Weiss said. \u201cBecause he might do something you haven\u2019t seen before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Look no further than the first inning Thursday for proof. Acu\u00f1a opened the game with a routine ground ball off Sandy Alcantara \u2014 likely one of the trade deadline\u2019s most coveted pitchers \u2014 but beat the throw from short with a sprint speed of 30 mph. Five pitches later, Acu\u00f1a greeted Michael Harris II at home with a \u201cmaking it rain money\u201d celebration after scoring on his teammate\u2019s two-run homer.<\/p>\n
Acu\u00f1a went 2-for-3, knocking in two runs with another single off Alcantara, before exiting the game.<\/p>\n
Despite not being able to field all their top contributors, the Braves have built a 9 1\/2-game lead in the National League East.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be fun when we get back to full strength at some point,\u201d Weiss said.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, there are plenty of other players stepping up.<\/p>\n
Yaz remains hot<\/p>\n
Mike Yastrzemski felt pressure in April, when he hit .179 with five RBIs and a .474 OPS. The 35-year-old has felt freer since, and it\u2019s showing up at the plate.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Yastrzemski came within a triple of hitting for the cycle. But when is spot in the order came up in the eighth inning, he didn\u2019t get a chance to accomplish the feat. Weiss, who said he didn\u2019t realize the lefty-hitting Yastrzemski was on the verge of the cycle until after the game, chose a right-handed hitter to face left-hander Cade Gibson instead.<\/p>\n
The decision wasn\u2019t a reflection of Yastrzemski\u2019s production. He has batted .283 with eight RBIs and a .896 OPS in May and has had some impactful hits. His homer against the Chicago Cubs gave the Braves an early lead on May 12; he walked off the Boston Red Sox, his famed grandfather Carl\u2019s old team and he was an integral part of the Braves taking three of four games in Miami.<\/p>\n
\u201c(I was) trying to do too much early on in the year,\u201d Yastrzemski said. \u201cI was trying to impact games, maybe when I don\u2019t need to, and just play my own game. I think that\u2019s part of being on a new team and trying to establish yourself.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes the harder you try, the harder it gets. You just have to let the game come to you, and you can\u2019t create the opportunities. You have to just be ready for them when they come.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n Dominic Smith\u2019s chaotic dash around the bases this week is already the stuff of legends. (Carmen Mandato \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Smith\u2019s consistency keeps paying off<\/p>\n
Dominic Smith isn\u2019t known for his speed. But by the end of Wednesday night, his circling the bases for a Little League homer had become the talk of both the clubhouse and his group chats.<\/p>\n
\u201cI looked at my phone. Family members already texted me memes of me laid out, me running,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt\u2019s fun when you\u2019re winning.\u201d<\/p>\n
As memorable as the chaotic dash around the bases was, Smith hit a home run earlier that represented the consistent impact he\u2019s made in Atlanta\u2019s lineup over 40 games. Smith battled Marlins starter Janson Junk for 11 pitches before getting one he could drive in the sixth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really conscious of getting the barrel to that heater inside and not taking it or not being late,\u201d Smith said. \u201cBut then he hung a curveball, and I was able to just really ride my swing through it and left the park.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ability to grind through plate appearances has helped fuel one of the most productive stretches of Smith\u2019s career. Smith entered Wednesday with a .978 OPS as a designated hitter \u2014 the best mark among National League DHs with at least 25 games at the position, and second in the majors to Yordan Alvarez.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MIAMI \u2014 If Atlanta Braves fans held their breath when Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. was taken out of Thursday\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":658801,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[2111,363,99],"class_list":["post-658800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-atlanta-braves","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=658800"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658800\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/658801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=658800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=658800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=658800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}