Ronald Acuna Jr. returned to the lineup to smack two homers and Drake Baldwin hit a three-run blast to lead the Atlanta Braves to an easy 9-2 victory over the Athletics on Wednesday night in Sacramento, Calif.
Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna also went deep as the Braves socked five homers off Athletics starter Mitch Spence. Acuna’s power display came one night after he was a late scratch due to lower-back tightness.
Bryce Elder (3-6) gave up two runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings for the Braves. He struck out seven and walked one to help Atlanta snap a five-game losing streak and win for just the third time in its past 13 contests.
Gio Urshela and Lawrence Butler had RBIs for the Athletics, who lost for the fourth time in the past six games.
Jacob Wilson (left hand contusion) sat out for the Athletics. The American League’s starting shortstop for next week’s All-Star Game was hit by a pitch during Tuesday’s opener of the three-game series.
Spence (2-5) was torched for eight runs and nine hits over six innings. He struck out three and walked one.
Acuna displayed his back was feeling good on the third pitch of the game when he drilled a sinker from Spence well over the fence in left.
Matt Olson followed with a single and Riley doubled before Baldwin launched a three-run blast to right center to make it 4-0.
Olson reached on an infield single with two out in the second before Riley ripped a homer to left-center to make it a six-run margin.
Acuna took Spence deep again with two outs in the fourth as he deposited a slider on to the grass beyond the wall in right-center.
The Athletics got on the board in the fifth as Zack Gelof singled with one out and moved to third on Denzel Clarke’s double. Butler’s infield groundout scored Gelof.
Ozuna kept the homer parade against Spence going when he hit the second pitch of the sixth inning over the wall in center to make it 8-1.
The Athletics strung consecutive two-out singles by Tyler Soderstrom, Max Muncy and Urshela for a run in their half of the sixth.
Atlanta added a run in the seventh off Hogan Harris as Olson led off with a walk and later scored for the third time on Jurickson Profar’s double.
–Field Level Media
