3 takeaways as Acuña, Teheran lead Atlanta Braves to another series win
The Atlanta Braves – their patchwork starting lineup and all – continued rolling merrily along with their 5-0 victory against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night, officially taking the final series against their NL East foe in 2019.
The recent onslaught of injuries have not cooled off the Atlanta Braves much at all, as they seemingly find new heroes to deliver on a nightly basis to carry the team through the dog days of August.
Wednesday’s shutout victory over the Marlins moves the Braves to a 76-52 record – a season-high 24 games over .500 – and securing a strong 6-game lead atop the National League East.
Who better to take the hill versus Miami than Julio Teheran? The veteran Atlanta right-hander did what he’s done all season against the Marlins, as the seven shutout innings he twirled moves his season line against the Fish to an eye-popping 32 innings pitched with just 1 run allowed.
Ronald Acuna, Jr. – right on cue after being hit by a Marlins pitcher the previous night – launched his team-high 36th home run of the season, continuing his MVP-caliber barrage at the plate.
And of course, this wouldn’t be a 2019 Atlanta Braves win without a contribution from one of the “ordinary” guys – the ones that don’t have the big-name stardom, but do what it takes to keep this team playing winning baseball.
Wednesday night, that player was Adeiny Hechavarria, the “all-glove” shortstop who has now provided five hits in five games with the Braves, with Wednesday’s base knock being of the two-run homer variety.
Here’s three big takeaways from the Atlanta Braves’ shutout win versus Miami.
1. Julio Teheran continues his mastery of Miami.
Somebody better tell Derek Jeter that his ownership of the Marlins is in serious jeopardy.
In all seriousness, you’d be hard-pressed to find a starting pitcher across baseball who has thoroughly dominated a single opponent over the course of the season the way Julio Teheran has the Miami Marlins in 2019.
On Wednesday night, Julio pitched 7 shutout innings – including a season-high 9 strikeouts – to lead the way for Atlanta.
The Marlins will be happy to know that they won’t see Julio again until at least 2020.
For the season, Julio now sports a microscopic 0.28 ERA in 32 IP vs the Fish.
The bigger picture? The 7-inning shutout moves Julio’s season ERA down to 3.53, a terrific rebound from his dreadful start against the Mets on August 15th.
Quietly, Julio Teheran has been one of the most important players on this Braves team in 2019, with his ERA good for second best on the club.
2. Ronald Acuna, Jr. adds to his MVP campaign with another big night.
Nobody is going to overlook the incredible numbers that Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich have put out from the get-go.
But it’s time to give Ronald Acuna, Jr. a long, hard look in the National League MVP race.
It’s definitely been an interesting week for the 21-year old phenom. From getting benched for not hustling on Sunday to being drilled on the first pitch (again) by a Marlins pitcher on Tuesday, it was high time for Acuna to get his redemption entering Wednesday night’s contest.
And boy, did he get it.
In the bottom of the 5th, Acuna obliterated a 91-mph pitch from Caleb Smith for a distance of 415 feet – his 36th of the year.
While those 36 dingers and his overall WAR (5.0 entering Wednesday) are still moderately far behind the Bellinger/Yelich duo, one could make the argument that Acuna has put together a more complete 5-tool season than any of the three, especially when you consider Acuna’s defensive prowess and his base-stealing ability (29 on the season).
Regardless, even if Acuna falls short in an MVP bid this season, the dripping-with-swag phenom is making a very clear statement that he will be in the conversation for this award for the years to come.
3. Hech Yes! The depth of the Braves pays off once again.
A part of the charm of this 2019 Atlanta Braves club has been the contribution of the everyday guys on a nightly basis.
We all know about the stars: Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuna, Jr., Josh Donaldson, and the like.
But it seems as though this Braves team has an uncanny knack for having its more unheralded players step up when needed.
Losing a shortstop like Dansby Swanson to a long-term injury could have proven to be a devastating blow for many teams across MLB, and when Johan Camargo struggled mightily as his replacement, it seemed as though things could go from bad to worse.
As a result, the expectation bar was set fairly low when the team claimed Adeiny Hechavarria off waivers – the shortstop with a penchant for being a defensive wizard, but a lightweight at the plate.
Starting in a stopgap role on Wednesday, Hechavarria’s performance was much more high-profile, especially when he crushed a two-run bomb in the game’s 2nd inning (following an ultra-rare Tyler Flowers triple!) to set an early tone and give the Braves a comfortable 3-run lead.
It truly is remarkable – be it Charlie Culberson, Matt Joyce, Rafael Ortega, or Hechavarria – how Atlanta continues to churn out good production from the depth of the roster.
Next. Good injury news. dark
Those “ordinary” guys are playing a large part in the Atlanta Braves playing winning baseball at a time where several starters are on the shelf with injuries.