Best – Ronald Acuna Jr. OF Atlanta Braves – .266AVG 4HR 9RBI 12R 1SB
The Atlanta Braves got off to a slow start offensively, and Ronald Acuna Jr. was one of the biggest culprits. Well, the Braves superstar seems to have finally gotten over his slump in a big way.
On Sunday, the Braves had a double-header with the Philadelphia Phillies. Acuna played in both games, where he dealt the most significant blows (5-8 3R 5RBI 3HR) to help the Braves win both games. The Braves had been holding their own despite Acuna struggling, but this past week they saw their best SP Mike Soroka go down with torn achilles, a season-ending injury. The Braves needed Acuna to come back to MVP candidate form.
After this offensive explosion from Acuna, his stats are finally looking respectable just as the Braves needed him to get going. The Braves sit atop the NL East right now, and with Acuna finally going, they should be well on their way to a third straight division title.
Other Notables: Max Fried SP Braves – 5IP 0ER 6K 1BB 1W; Manny Machado (3B) Padres – 2-4 2R 2RBI 2HR; Dinelson Lamet SP Padres – 6.2IP 1H 1ER 11K 1W; Christian Yelich OF Brewers – 2-3 2R 3RB 2BB 1HR; Spencer Turnbull SP Tigers – 7IP 1ER 4K 2BB 1W.
Worst – Stephen Strasburg SP Washington Nationals – 4.1 7H 5ER 1BB 2K 69PC
The Washington Nationals got off to a horrible start last year before catching fire in the second half and keeping that momentum going to win the World Series. The Nationals do not have that luxury this season. They thought that getting their WS MVP, SP Stephen Strasburg, back would rejuvenate the team. But Strasburg did not quite look like himself on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles.
The Nationals sit at 4-7 and would be out of the playoffs if the season ended today. The Nationals should be at full strength now with Strasburg, Juan Soto, and Max Scherzer. And with the Atlanta Braves surging, they cannot afford for Strasburg not to get better. Unlike last year, the Nationals do not have much time for Strausburg to build up momentum.
Other Trash: Brandon Crawford – 0-4 2K Madison Bumgarner SP Diamondbacks – 2IP 6ER 2K 1BB 1L; Luery Garcia SS White Sox – 0-5 2K; Sonny Gray SP Reds – 5.1IP 4ER 7K 3B 1L; Jo Adell OF Angels – 0-4 3K.