Ronald Acuna, Josh Donaldson in power Braves

by



[ad_1]

SAN DIEGO – Josh Donaldson added two more home runs and Dallas Keuchel had his third straight start. The strongest blow to Petco Park in the Braves' 5-3 win over the Padres on Friday night came from Ronald Acuña Jr., who never worries about

SAN DIEGO – Josh Donaldson hit two more races at the opposite field home and Dallas Keuchel had a third good start in a row. The strongest explosion that was heard at Petco Park in the Braves' 5 to 3 victory over the Padres on Friday night came courtesy of Ronald Acuña Jr., who has never been afraid of facing a possible Home Run Derby hangover.

• The score of the box

"It was as if nothing had happened," said Acuna through a translator. "It's the second half of the season. We are just starting.

The Braves, who had 22 wins out of 30 on June 7, started the second half of the season like the first. They have reason to be confident that they will continue to receive two of their best veterans – Keuchel (Cy Young Award) and Donaldson (MVP) – who have won the highest honors of the American League after the 2015 season .

At the same time, they are eager to see Acuna, who was the most productive player in the National League, without the name of Christian Yelich, after the all-star break last year.

Acuna's senseless power potency was again evident when he gave Keuchel a 4-0 lead by starting the fifth inning with a 455-foot circuit with an exit speed of 113.3 mph per hour. Statcast. The solo hit that landed in the second bridge beyond the center-left wall is the third circuit he has hit this season and has traveled at least 450 feet.

Josh Bell (five) of the Pirates, eliminated by Acuna in the first round of the Derby on Monday, is the only player in the MLB to have scored more circuits in this category.

"Right off the bat, you do not have to look to see if it's going to go away," Acuna said. "You know right now."

Acuna has certainly become familiar with the thrill of hitting a home run without a doubt. Eighteen of the 48 circuits (37.5%) he has touched since his debut last year have covered at least 430 feet. Joey Gallo (21), of the Rangers, is the only player to have hit more points of this length since the beginning of 2018.

The Braves have 38 circuits that have covered at least 430 feet since the start of last season. Acuna accounted for 47.4% of this total.

Power in opposite field

The Padres may have been worried when Donaldson chose to shoot a curved ball a few hours before the game. It was the same machine that he had used before getting out of his funk in June and starting his current ascent during which he had produced 1,178 OPS in his last 22 games on June 15th.

Donaldson gave Keuchel a quick lead with the opposing three-point circuit that he beat against Dinelson Lamet in the first run. The former MVP MVP finished his second game of the season with more than a pair of spectators when he went the other way with a shot in the round of 16 against Matt Strahm.

"It seems like every time I run this machine, I have a good day," said Donaldson, who has 20 homers this season and 11 of those over 97 throws on June 11th.

While Donaldson spent much of this decade proving to be one of the most intimidating hitters in the game, he has always demonstrated his ability to lead the ball in all areas. Seven of his hometown circuits this year have been hit in the opposite field.

Donaldson's home runs in the opposite field have an average of 394 feet. By entering on Friday, this would have ranked seventh among all MLB players who have scored at least five shots in front. Acuna (417 feet) leads the field and Braves teammate Freddie Freeman is third (399 feet).

"You never really know about a player until you really play with him," Keuchel said. "Focused towards [Donaldson] was a difficult challenge. He won the MVP title. So you really can not say enough about the guy. "

Exchange of compliments

Donaldson also praised after seeing Keuchel limit the Padres to one point in seven innings. Manny Machado's leader in the sixth inning was the only one injured against the veteran southpaw, who is expected to earn every penny of the $ 13 million the Braves committed him in June.

"I think it's so underrated in today's game, guys who can come out and give you seven or eight innings," Donaldson said. "I feel like in today's game if you can go out and give us five and give up one or two [runs], walk five and hit 10, you had a big exit. This is not his game. I like him as the guy behind him because he keeps us involved. "

Keuchel has allowed five earned runs while totaling 21 1/3 innings in his last three starts. It lasted at least seven innings in each of these three outings. The only other Braves player to have made 21 strikeouts in a match since the beginning of June was Mike Soroka, who did so on June 7, the day Keuchel signed the contract for a year.

"He has a record," said Braves manager Brian Snitker. "All the others develop their balance sheet. He is good for our club. "

Mark Bowman has been covering the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.

[ad_2]

Source link