The All-Star festivities are ramping up, y’all.
The team says it’s ready. The culinary offerings are all set. Paint-spraying robots have already prepped the outfield. And the HBCU Swingman Classic arrives tomorrow.
The Braves even won a game!
Things are looking up.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
It’s been very considerate of the Braves and A’s to adopt the “one team scores a bunch of runs early” strategy, in order to respect the sleep schedules of folks watching on Eastern Daylight Time. Let’s keep it going.
📺 How to watch: First pitch from Sacramento arrives at 9:05 p.m. on FanDuel Sports.
⚾ The probable starters: Spencer Strider (3-7, 3.93) vs. JP Sears (7-7, 4.76)
📝 The scouting report: Sears is coming off two straight scoreless starts. No current Braves have a ton of experience against the lefty, but Michael Harris II, Matt Olson and Jurickson Profar each have two hits in five or fewer at-bats.
Y’ALL WERE WORRIED?
Credit: Sergio Estrada/AP
Credit: Sergio Estrada/AP
If there were lingering questions about Ronald Acuña Jr.’s sore back (or his ability to participate in next week’s All-Star events), he quickly answered them Wednesday night.
And ignited the biggest Braves home run party of the season, too.
- Acuña’s leadoff homer (an utter annihilation of a 1-1 pitch) got the ball rolling on a four-run first inning, which catcher Drake Baldwin capped off with a three-run bomb of his own.
- Third baseman Austin Riley added a two-run homer in the second before Acuña went deep again in the fourth.
- Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna piled on with a sixth-inning solo shot.
Not that long ago, a five homer night (and a 9-2 win over a team like the Athletics) felt pretty routine for the Bravos.
Nowadays they’re getting F’s from ESPN. My how far we’ve come.
“I felt very happy to help the team, which is the most important thing,” Acuña told reporters, via interpreter. “I felt good and we hope to continue doing treatment every day. Thankfully, right now I don’t feel anything, but you just can’t take these things for granted. It always helps to be cautious.”
🙄 And by the way: The Braves are not trading Acuña. Stop it with the hypotheticals.
THE BEST BASEBALL MOVIES
Starting today, Atlanta’s iconic Plaza Theatre kicks off an All-Star themed run of classic baseball movies. In honor of that, I present my deeply subjective top five diamond-based flicks of all time:
- “Major League”
- “The Sandlot”
- “A League of Their Own”
- “Field of Dreams”
- “Bull Durham”
My list is correct, of course (I favor comedies). But if you must disagree, shoot me an email with your own ranking.
ANOTHER DERBY CONTESTANT
Everybody: Welcome the Tampa Bay Rays’ Junior Caminero to the Home Run Derby field.
The 22-year-old third baseman announced his participation shortly after hitting his 22nd home run of the season.
“I’m going to put on a show. I’m going to try to put on a show just to give the fans the opportunity to get to know me, see my power,” he told The Associated Press.
- That makes six total derby participants, including Acuña. Two more will fill out the roster.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Henri Hollis/AJC
Credit: Henri Hollis/AJC
The unique food items on tap for Truist Park this week include the “Down the Bay Burger” — which features a patty made of ground beef and mushrooms topped with fried soft-shell crab.
Thanks for reading Braves Report. Tell a friend — and maybe give the AJC’s Sports Daily newsletter a shot, too.
Until next time.
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