Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. rode a torrid 20-game stretch into the middle contest Saturday of an interleague series against the Houston Astros, and he continued his stellar play.
Acuna finished 2-for-3 with two walks and a seventh-inning grand slam that sent the Braves toward a 6-3 victory. Atlanta (91-64) has a magic number of one to clinch the National League East title for the seventh time in nine seasons heading into Sunday’s series finale in Houston.
Acuna was batting .363 with six homers and 16 RBIs over the previous 20 games, a stretch that started after he sat and watched the finale of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 27. Since then, he has more closely resembled the two-way threat who terrorized the NL before two separate season-ending knee injuries altered his stardom.
“And it’s understandable, right?” Braves manager Walt Weiss said of Acuna methodically rounding into his superstar form. “When you have both knees reconstructed, it takes time to, not only physically, but mentally have the confidence in really letting it fly.
“I think we’re seeing that now with Ronald again.”
Left-hander Martin Perez (9-9, 3.07 ERA) will start the series finale for the Braves. Perez earned his first win in six starts — and the 100th victory of his career — in the Braves’ 6-3 triumph over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks with two strikeouts over six innings.
Perez was 0-3 with a 3.55 ERA in the five starts between wins, and he is 10-8 with a 3.72 ERA in 22 career appearances (21 starts) against the Astros.
Right-hander Hunter Brown (6-3, 3.43 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Astros (77-78) as they attempt to avert a three-game series sweep on Sunday.
Houston trails the Texas Rangers by one game atop the American League West and is two games behind the Chicago White Sox in the race for the AL’s final wild-card spot.
Brown matched his season high with 10 strikeouts against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday, allowing one run on two hits and three walks over five innings in a 4-2 win. He is 3-0 with a 2.86 ERA over his last five starts.
Brown is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA across three career starts against the Braves. He recorded a 6-2 win over them on Sept. 13, 2025, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with two strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings.
Left-hander Steven Okert, Houston’s second-most consistent reliever behind closer Josh Hader, has spent the last two weeks on the injured list with a hamstring strain. His absence continues to be felt, as the Astros have struggled with high-leverage situations.
Right-hander reliever AJ Blubaugh allowed three runs on two hits and one walk while recording just one out in the seventh inning on Saturday. In seven appearances since Okert went on the IL, Blubaugh has surrendered nine runs on nine hits and five walks over six innings.
Right-hander reliever Bryan Abreu allowed a walk-off home run to the Rays’ Junior Caminero on Sept. 11 and surrendered the grand slam to Acuna that flipped the game on Saturday. Previously reliable relievers Blubaugh and Abreu — in tandem with Okert — have labored lately.
“Those are our guys, and I trust them,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “And I’m going to continue to give them the ball.”
–Field Level Media
