The red-hot Atlanta Braves won again Friday night, blowing out the Miami Marlins (ATL 16, MIA 4) at Truist Park. The Braves scored five runs in the first, then, after the Marlins closed to within 5-3, the Braves quit playing around and put 11 runs on the board spanning the third through seventh innings. Atlanta has won six straight games, 14 of their last 15 games, and 21 of their last 24 games.
Leading the way Friday was (who else?) Ronald Acuña Jr.. The All-Star Game starter went 2 for 3 with a homer and a walk in the 16-run outburst. He scored three runs and also stole a base. The home run was Acuña's 20th and the stolen base was his 37th. He is the first player in baseball history with 20 homers and 35 steals before the All-Star break.
The Braves are a juggernaut right now. They are averaging -- averaging -- 7.21 runs per game during this 21-3 stretch, and six times in those 24 games they scored at least 10 runs. In those 24 games they've scored eight or more runs more often (nine times) than they have scored five or fewer runs (eight times). Remarkable.
Austin Riley, Eddie Rosario and Matt Olson (twice) went deep in addition to Acuña on Friday. Olson's 28 homers lead the National League. The Braves have hit five homers in a game an incredible eight times this season. That's the fourth most in a single season in baseball history. The list:
- 2019 Minnesota Twins: 11 games with five-plus homers
- 2019 New York Yankees: 10
- 2019 Oakland Athletics: 9
- 2023 Braves: 8 and counting
Reminder: 2019 was the Year of the Home Run. All sorts of home run records were set that year. Another reminder: It's only June 30! The Braves reached the halfway point of their season Friday and still have another 81 games to play. Something tells me there are many more five-homer games in this team's future.
Friday's win improved the Braves to 54-27 on the season. They have a six-game lead in the NL East and are suddenly a half-game behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the best record in baseball.
