Ronald Acuña, Jr. is back!
The question is, was his team ever there?
After a year trying to recover from an injury that kept him off the diamond most of last season and the first few months of this season, the right fielder Braves fans have been waiting to see back in action and at his best is active again and proved it by blasting a solo homer in the first inning. The first pitch he saw from Padres pitcher Nick Pivetta was blown into the stands, 467 feet from home plate. He rounded the bases for the first time in a year with a smile on his face and his hands in the air.
That was the good news. The bad news was that it was the ONLY run the Braves could put on the board.
The San Diego Padres snapped their six-game losing streak by holding the Braves to that one run, continuing the Bravos’ frustrating trend of off-and-on pitching, hitting, and scoring successes this season. The Braves turned to relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias, who’s yet to prove he can consistently save games, but he was all they had available.
He wound up giving up the decisive solo homer to Manny Machado in the ninth inning. Back to the drawing board.
The Braves had a chance to rally with their final three outs, but like so many other times this season, the Braves could stop tripping over their own shoes. They had one base covered, thanks to a double by Alex Verdugo, but a base running error by Eli White, apparently confused by instructions from the 3rd base coach, bolted back to second base, only to be tagged out in a Padres double play. Michael Harris II couldn’t save the day, as he grounded out.
Instead of celebrating a come-from-behind win on Acuña’s comeback night, the Braves lost another close and winnable game, 2-1. Fans left Truist Park booing and fuming.
The anticipation of seeing one of the most popular players in a Braves uniform return to the field was palpable ever since the team announced his return last night. That solo homer proved he was back in form and ready for action.
Whether his team is ready seems to be an open question right now.
