Harris, Acuña and Ozuna provide boost to lineup and give Braves hope they can still save season
ATLANTA (AP) — With Michael Harris II finding his power stroke, Ronald Acuña Jr. hitting .375 after missing almost a full season and Marcel Ozuna fighting his way through a hip issue, the Atlanta Braves are hoping their offensive recovery has not come too late.
Harris has hit homers in back-to-back games for the Braves, who have won three of their last four games at a crucial stretch of the season.
Harris hit a three-run homer to tie the game and Ozuna added another three-run shot to give the Braves the lead in their 12-4 win over Colorado on Friday night. It was Ozuna's 11th homer, despite the sore hip.
The Braves trailed 4-1 before recovering to beat the lowly Rockies after winning two of three games at Milwaukee — their first series win since May 16-18.
The Braves (30-38) still have much ground to make up in the NL East. Scoring six or more runs in each of their most recent three wins has given manager Brian Snitker renewed reason for optimism.
The Braves, who won the 2021 World Series, need a dramatic recovery to extend their streak of seven consecutive postseason appearances.
'These are big games, all of them,' Snitker said after Friday night's win before acknowledging it won't be easy to save the season after falling 10 games below .500, most recently at 28-38. The Braves are 14 games behind the first-place New York Mets and tied for third in the East with Washington.
'As we know, we've done it before (but) not this far back,' Snitker said.
Acuña doubled on the first pitch from Germán Márquez and scored on Olson's sacrifice fly. Acuña added singles in the third and fifth innings for his third consecutive three-hit game.
When asked what Acuña brings to the lineup, Harris said 'Energy. He's an MVP. You know the talent is there. He brings a lot of energy at the (leadoff) spot.'
Acuña stole second base in the fifth on his first attempt since returning on May 23 after missing almost a full season following surgery on his left knee.
'I was wondering if he was on a restriction,' said Harris of Acuña's wait for his first steal. 'Obviously, the speed is still there.'
It was Acuña's first stolen base since May 25, 2024 at Pittsburgh, a span of 385 days. It was an encouraging sign of confidence in the surgically repaired knee for Acuña, who was NL MVP in 2023 when he hit 41 homers and had 73 steals.
'He's hit the ground running since he's been back, that's for sure,' Snitker said. 'His at-bats have been not like he missed the significant amount of time he missed.'
Harris, hitting only .238, has driven in 41 runs. He has hit three of his six homers in the last six games.
'Obviously, I want my average to be up a good amount, but I feel I've been able to get some key RBIs through the season,' Harris said.
The Braves have been below .500 most of the season and their recent stretch of six straight series losses led to speculation they might be sellers instead of buyers at the trade deadline.
'I don't think we really think about that much,' Harris said. '... It's just worrying about who's here now.'
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dallas Mavericks Hosting NBA Draft Watch Party
The Dallas Mavericks will host an NBA Draft watch party on June 25 at 5:30 p.m. as the franchise selects first overall for just the second time in history. This event will be held at American Airlines Center and will feature play-by-play announcer Mark Followill, commentator Jeff 'Skin' Wade, and ESPN analyst Ted Emrich hosting 'The MavsTV Draft Show,' according to Mike Curtis. Advertisement Multiple exclusive guests are also expected to appear on this show, including Mavericks legends Rolando Blackman, Nick Van Exel, Josh Howard, Mark Aguirre, who was selected first overall by the franchise in 1981, and Dallas Wings first overall pick Paige Bueckers in 2025. While the doors of this event will open at 5:30 p.m., the event will begin at 6 p.m. before the NBA Draft kicks off at 7 p.m. Fans looking to purchase tickets to the Mavericks' watch party can visit with the first 5,000 fans receiving commemorative Draft Day t-shirts. Tickets to this event will also include open seating, free parking, and access to concession deals, activities, and giveaways. Advertisement This event will feature the Mavericks selecting the top overall prospect in the NBA Draft, with many expecting the franchise to draft Duke freshman Cooper Flagg. Flagg is widely regarded as one of the best NBA prospects in recent memory, leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four while averaging 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. These performances helped Flagg win the Oscar Robertson Trophy for the National Player of the Year while also being named the Wayman Tisdale Award National Freshman Player of the Year. Flagg will team up with Mavericks forward Anthony Davis and guard Kyrie Irving, who is expected to miss the majority of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL. However, Dallas must continue to add to this roster to compete for an NBA Championship next season, with an additional playmaking guard standing out as the biggest need for the team moving forward, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Alabama reportedly offers top 2027 in-state quarterback prospect
This past week, the Alabama Crimson Tide officially extended an offer to one of the top in-state quarterbacks in Alabama's 2027 class, Trent Seaborn. Seaborn announced the offer from Alabama via a post on social media. Advertisement A name that has grown more-and-more across Alabama high school football in recent years, Seaborn has been a starter at quarterback for one of the state's top programs, Thompson High School, since his eighth grade season back in 2022. Since, Seaborn has helped lead Thompson to two Class 7A state championships in 2022 and 2024, which is Alabama's highest classification. According to the 247Sports Composite recruiting rankings, Seaborn is currently considered as the nation's No. 215 overall player in the 2027 class, as well as the No. 16 quarterback nationally. Seaborn, a four-star prospect, is also considered as the No. 9 prospect in the state of Alabama. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama football offers 2027 quarterback Trent Seaborn
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark Had Strong Words for Valkyries Fans
Caitlin Clark Had Strong Words for Valkyries Fans originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Caitlin Clark did not have the best of games in her first time in San Francisco. The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year was held to just 11 points on 3-of-14 shooting on Thursday as the Indiana Fever fell to the Golden State Valkyries, 88-77. Advertisement This was also Clark's first time to play at Chase Center, which is also the home stadium of Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. While the Valkyries might not have as strong a following as the Warriors, there's no denying that the fans have shown their unwavering support for the WNBA's newest expansion team. Clark was asked to share her thoughts on the Valkyries faithful before Thursday's game, and the 23-year-old had nothing but praise for the fans. 'These people aren't just showing up to sit in a seat and check a box of being here," she said. "They really seem like they're here to support and cheer and appreciate women's basketball. I think that's the coolest thing. "They love it and wanna be a part of it. They kinda want to be the sixth player for this team to help them win. I feel like they have done that to this point. It's just been really cool to see. Obviously, as a player, you really do appreciate that.' Clark would have loved to mark her first game at Chase Center with a win, but this just wasn't the case on Thursday night. The Valkyries turned in a total team effort to hand the Fever their first loss in three games--much to the delight of the adoring home crowd. Golden State Valkyries guard Kate Martin (20) defends against Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (left).© Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Indiana's next trip to the Bay Area will be on Aug. 31 as Clark and Co. return to Chase Center to try and even the score. This will be an opportunity for Clark to get some revenge against the Valkyries and turn in a much better performance in front of their home supporters. Advertisement Related: Caitlin Clark Assigns Blame After Fever's Loss to Valkyries Related: WNBA Coach Responds to Reporter's Accusation Following 2024 Post About Caitlin Clark Related: Indiana Fever's Sophie Cunningham Turns Heads After Exciting Personal News This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
