The Atlanta Braves have found ways to boost their stock recently, even as they wait for one of their key players to return to the lineup.
The Braves will visit the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night in the second game of a three-game series.
Atlanta used late-inning breakthroughs to produce a 7-6, 10-inning victory Friday night to move to 6-2 since the All-Star break.
The Braves, though, are 16-20 without injured outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., who had been projected to be ready to play at some point during the series in Baltimore. Instead, he had his rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett extended for at least another day.
Acuna has been out since June 10 because of a strained hamstring. He has a .251 batting average, seven homers and 22 RBIs in 53 games this season.
“He’ll let us know when he feels like he’s ready to go,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “… He’s been away from the game for a long time. So he’s going to have to get quite a few at-bats, I’m sure, before he feels like he can come up here and hit the ground running.”
The Braves have other producers, such as Drake Baldwin, who’s putting together another strong season after winning National League Rookie of the Year in 2025.
In his 80th game this season, Baldwin hit his 20th home run Friday night, eclipsing last year’s 19-homer total, which came in 124 games.
As for the Orioles, they have found production with a team newcomer. What infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand has provided since his promotion from Triple-A Norfolk has been a jolt for the offense.
Encarnacion-Strand has homered three times across five games with Baltimore. He ended the scoring on Friday with a two-run smash in the 10th.
The Braves never led until the 10th inning Friday, so in the aftermath it will be another test on the emotional barometer for the Orioles.
“Our players know what’s at stake,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “Also, they’ve done a great job of navigating this season through the ups and the downs of never wavering their confidence, how they go about their business.”
The Orioles were bemoaning a defensive snafu with second baseman Jackson Holliday’s errant throw — following his diving stop to gain possession of the ball — opening the way for Atlanta’s four-run 10th inning.
“I made a good play and made a terrible throw,” Holliday said. “So got to finish the play.”
The Braves will have right-hander Bryce Elder (6-6, 4.06 ERA) on the mound Saturday in only his third outing of July. He was the winning pitcher Monday in a 3-2 victory against the San Diego Padres, giving up two runs and five hits over six-plus innings. This will be his 20th start of the season.
Elder, who owns a 30-30 overall career record, doesn’t have a decision against Baltimore. His only matchup vs. the Orioles lasted 5 1/3 innings, as he gave up one run in a 3-2 win in extra innings on May 7, 2023.
Right-hander Brandon Young (8-2, 3.25 ERA) will start for Baltimore on Saturday. He’s 3-0 across his past five starts, lasting seven innings in each of his past two.
Young, in his second season, has never faced the Braves, but Baltimore is 4-1 against National League teams this year when Young pitches.
For the Orioles, this will be the middle game of a three-game homestand, marking their only three home games during a 12-game stretch since play resumed after the All-Star break.
–Field Level Media
