Acuña Goes Deep Twice as Atlanta Rolls Miami 11-3
Ronald Acuña Jr. hit two home runs and drove in three, and Atlanta sent nine runs across in the sixth and seventh innings to turn a tight game into a rout. The final: ATL 11, MIA 3.
The game was effectively decided in the third inning, when Acuña Jr. homered to left center — 390 feet — scoring Baldwin and pushing Atlanta to a 2-0 lead. That swing moved Atlanta's win probability from 64% to 82%, an 18-point jump, and the Marlins never seriously threatened to claw it back. Miami starter Janson Junk held things together through three innings, but the wheels came off in the sixth: Olson launched a 422-foot shot to center to make it 3-0, Thomas doubled home Harris II, a Riley sacrifice fly scored Dubón, and a fielder's choice — aided by a fielding error from second baseman Edwards — pushed the lead to 6-0. Four runs in one inning, and Miami was already cooked.
The Marlins briefly showed a pulse in the seventh. Sanoja singled to center to score Edwards, and Conine followed with a single to right to score Jiménez, cutting the deficit to 6-2. But Atlanta answered immediately. Harris II tripled to center to score Olson, and Dubón singled him home — just like that, it was 8-2 and the comeback window had slammed shut. Acuña Jr. then put the game fully to bed in the eighth with his second homer of the night, a 337-foot shot to right, and Atlanta piled on two more before the inning ended. The final margin was 11-3, with Sanoja's ninth-inning double scoring Stowers as the lone cosmetic addition for Miami.
The story of the night was the sheer depth of Atlanta's damage. Mauricio Dubón went 4-for-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored — a perfect night at the plate that looks like exactly the kind of complementary production a lineup needs when its stars are already doing the heavy lifting. Harris II went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI and 3 runs scored, and Olson crossed the plate three times despite going 2-for-3. On the mound, Martin Perez threw three hitless innings and Victor Mederos added two more without allowing a hit — Atlanta's pitching staff combined to hold Miami scoreless through six frames. Junk, by contrast, allowed 5 hits and 2 earned runs in just 3 innings. This one wasn't close, and it appears Atlanta's offense is operating at a level that makes any deficit feel manageable and any lead feel insurmountable.