Ronald Acuna Jr. remains confident even as his slow start to the season has dragged into another week.
After what amounts to an offensive eruption, Acuna will lead the Atlanta Braves into the second contest of a three-game series against the visiting Cleveland Guardians on Saturday night.
In Atlanta’s 11-5 win on Friday, Acuna went 2-for-5 with a solo home run to raise his batting average to .222.
Acuna said he takes comfort in knowing his name is penciled into the Braves’ lineup every day.
“I am always confident in myself,” Acuna said. “I know I have the talent and am working hard every time. When nothing is happening, I don’t (take it home with me). That’s just part of the game. I know I am going to play every day, and that’s the most important thing to me.”
The Braves roughed up Cleveland pitching by getting 15 hits and three home runs. Acuna, Matt Olson and Michael Harris II homered in the series opener for a Braves offense that manager Walt Weiss said is multi-faceted.
“The offense is starting to click a little bit,” he said. “Coming out of spring training, I talked about the offense and how good I felt about it. There are ebbs and flows to it through the season, and that’s how it goes in this league. They can hit it in the seats, and we have some guys that know how to keep the line moving as well.”
A pair of left-handers are scheduled to start on Saturday. Cleveland will send Parker Messick (1-0, 0.82 ERA) to the mound, while Atlanta will counter with Martin Perez (0-0, 3.86).
Messick tossed five innings of two-hit ball against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. He didn’t factor into the decision of Cleveland’s 6-5 victory despite allowing one run and striking out six. Messick, 25, has yet to face the Braves in his career.
Perez also was involved in no-decision Sunday in his most recent outing. He allowed four runs on five hits in five innings in his team’s 6-5, 10-inning loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Perez, 35, is 1-3 with a 6.86 ERA in 11 career appearances (seven starts) vs. Cleveland.
While the Braves’ offense got going on Friday, Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said it’s only a matter of time before the heart of the Guardians’ lineup heats up.
Kyle Manzardo collected his first extra-base hit of the season on Friday — a 454-foot solo home run — en route to raising his batting average to a paltry .103. Jose Ramirez also is off to a poor start at the plate at .151.
But with a small sample size, Vogt has faith in Manzardo and Martinez.
“Kyle has been hitting the ball hard but at people,” Vogt said. “Jose is probably not far behind him in that category. We know it is going to turn for them. I have a lot of faith in those two. They’re hitting in the middle of our order, and obviously it’s going to turn at some point.”
–Field Level Media
