National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves missed his first game of the season. He’s dealing with a right oblique injury.
He was scratched from the lineup for the Braves’ road game against the Miami Marlins on Sunday (April 17) at Rondipo Park.
Acuña strained his iliotibial band while sprinting to avoid a double play after hitting a shortstop’s grounder to first base in the top of the eighth inning of a 6-9 loss to Miami the previous day. He was replaced by right fielder Kevin Pillar in the bottom of the inning on defense.
Aquino said after the game, “I’m fine. It was just a cramp or something. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow and decide if I can play.”
A day later, however, he was out of the starting lineup after skipping practice.
Atlanta head coach Brian Snitker said before the game, “It’s a lot better than yesterday, but it’s not quite there yet. There’s still some tightness. It’s artificial turf and it’s a shock to the defenders. He said he felt better in the morning, but we decided it was better to leave him out of the lineup.”
Pilar was again in right field.
Atlanta had already clinched the East title two days earlier by beating the Philadelphia Phillies. “Our standings have nothing to do with resting Acuña,” Snitker said. It’s a sensitive injury. It’s not something that heals quickly. It needs attention.”
In 147 games this season, Aquino is batting .337 (201-for-597) with 37 home runs, 98 RBI, 135 runs scored, 66 doubles, a .418 slugging percentage, a .586 on-base percentage, a 1.004 OPS and 350 runs batted in. This is the first time this season he has missed a game.
He leads both leagues in five categories: runs scored, hits, doubles, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. That alone makes him a strong candidate for NL MVP. Add to that the fact that he’s the first player in history to hit 30 HRs and 60 RBIs, and he’s on pace for 30 HRs and 70 RBIs, and even 40 HRs and 70 RBIs. Atlanta has 14 games left.안전놀이터
Meanwhile, Atlanta’s home run candidate, Matt Olson, hit his 52nd arch of the season to take sole possession of the division lead. Trailing 4-5 in the top of the sixth inning, he led off with a solo shot to center field. He took a 93.0 mph fastball from Miami left-hander Steven Aukerty over the center field fence. It had a 32-degree launch angle, 107.7 mph bat speed and 433 feet of travel. It was his ninth home run of the month.