Acuña returns – Ronald Acuña Jr. returned from a left hamstring strain and went back to the top of the order as the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins 7-5. Mauricio Dubón’s go-ahead RBI single in the eighth helped break open a tight game, and Martín Pérez set the tone with
Atlanta had been waiting on Ronald Acuña Jr. to take his spot back in the lineup, and on the very first night of his return from a left hamstring strain, the Braves made sure the wait didn’t feel like a pause.
Acuña returned after being sidelined since May 2 because of the left hamstring strain. He batted leadoff as the designated hitter. and the early message from the Braves was simple: the offense still moved the same way. In the 5-5 swing that turned into a deciding push. Mauricio Dubón delivered the key moment. and Atlanta pulled away to edge the Marlins.
Dubón finished with three hits, including a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning. Matt Olson walked twice, finished with two hits and drove in three runs, while Michael Harris II homered and singled for the NL East-leading Braves.
The decisive inning started with bases getting loaded. Dubón reached on a two-out infield single to put Atlanta ahead 5-4 after Marlins reliever Calvin Faucher (4-3) walked Mike Yastrzemski, Ha-Seong Kim and Acuña to fill the bases. Olson followed with a two-run single to make it 7-4.
Kim added an RBI single in the ninth.
Dylan Lee (2-0) earned the win after pitching 1 1/3 innings of relief.
Starting pitcher Martín Pérez kept his momentum after a strong start: he allowed four runs and five hits and struck out a career-high 10 in five innings.
It wasn’t the only game where a return—or a bounce-back—felt like it changed the room.
In Detroit. Travis Bazzana hit a two-run homer. Cade Smith pitched out of a jam in the ninth. and Cleveland held off Detroit for their fourth straight victory. Brayan Rocchio drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh with a groundout that allowed Steven Kwan to score. Smith worked the ninth after Matt Vierling and Kevin McGonigle hit one-out singles to put runners on first and second. but he struck out Jahmal Jones looking and Dillon Dingler swinging for his 15th save in 17 opportunities. The Tigers suffered their fourth straight loss.
Cade Smith’s earlier trouble was handled by a steady middle from Messick, who pitched five innings and gave up three runs—two earned—on four hits with three walks. Colin Holderman (1-0) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win.
In St. Petersburg, Yandy Díaz went 2 for 3 with a home run and an RBI double, Griffin Jax struck out six over five innings, and Tampa Bay beat Baltimore for the Rays’ third consecutive win. Tampa Bay has won 20 of 24 and holds the best record in MLB at 32-15, sitting 17 games above .500.
Jax gave up three hits and walked one before Kevin Kelly (3-1) earned the win with a scoreless sixth. Bryan Baker pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 13th save.
Díaz homered to leadoff the sixth and gave the Rays a 2-1 lead. Taylor Ward hit a home run to leadoff the game for the Orioles’ only run. Kyle Bradish (2-6) allowed two runs and four hits, walked three and struck out six.
Philadelphia had a different kind of highlight night across town. Chase Burns struck out nine over six innings and lowered his ERA to 1.83 as Cincinnati beat Philadelphia. Burns (6-1) allowed only Trea Turner’s solo shot in the third as he helped the Reds end a three-game losing streak and move back above .500 (25-24).
Bryce Harper scorched a line drive off Burns with two outs in the sixth. but Burns collected the ball and threw out Harper at first base to end the inning. Burns ran off the field on his own and headed straight down the dugout tunnel to the clubhouse. He did not return for the seventh, though there was little reason with the Reds up 4-1. Tony Santillan worked the ninth for his second save and helped snap the Phillies’ five-game win streak.
Washington’s game carried its own jolt of momentum. James Wood hit the majors’ first inside-the-park grand slam since 2022 as the Nationals rallied from an early five-run deficit to defeat New York, avoiding their first three-game skid since April 22-24.
José Tena also homered for Washington. New York was led by Bo Bichette, who homered twice and drove in four runs, and Juan Soto also went deep. But the Nationals did the impossible early.
Down 5-0, Washington loaded the bases with two outs in the second inning. Mets starter Nolan McLean (2-3) threw a first-pitch sweeper to Wood, who lofted it to deep left. The ball glanced off the arm of the leaping Nick Morabito and caromed into centre. Wood scampered around the bases in 15.15 seconds and dove into the plate well ahead of the throw for his first career grand slam.
It was the Nationals’ second inside-the-park grand slam since the franchise moved to Washington in 2005. Michael A. Taylor hit one on Sept. 8, 2017, at home against Philadelphia. It was the ninth inside-the-park grand slam since 1994 and the first since Toronto’s Raimel Tapia did it on July 22, 2022.
Griffin allowed five runs in five innings and struck out five. Richard Lovelady pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his third save.
And in Minneapolis, Isaac Paredes hit a two-run homer in the first inning, Jason Alexander scattered four hits over six scoreless innings, and Houston beat Minnesota.
Jeremy Peña singled off Zebby Matthews (1-1) to open the game, and Paredes followed with his fifth home run—on a 3-2 pitch—for a 2-0 lead. Alexander (1-0) walked one and struck out four after allowing 10 runs in 6 1/3 innings in his first two outings this season.
Houston’s close had its own tight sequence. Astros reliever Bryan King struck out Brooks Lee on his 13th pitch to begin the ninth and Victor Caratini grounded out on the next pitch. Orlando Arcia then delivered a two-out single that chased King. Bryan Abreu entered and hit pinch-hitter Luke Keaschall with his second pitch. Arcia and Keaschall runners advanced on a wild pitch before Abreu retired Byron Buxton on a pop-out in foul territory at third for his third save in three opportunities.
Matthews worked six innings and never gave up a run after the first in his second start this season. He allowed six hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out six.
MLB roundup Atlanta Braves Miami Marlins Ronald Acuña Jr. Mauricio Dubón Martín Pérez Cleveland Guardians Detroit Tigers Yandy Díaz Tampa Bay Rays Chase Burns Cincinnati Reds James Wood Washington Nationals Houston Astros
So he’s back. Braves already win lol.
Left hamstring strain usually means you’re out forever though? But okay Acuña just strolls back into the lineup and it’s “no pause.” I don’t even watch baseball but that sounds like a miracle honestly.
They made it sound like the pitcher was waiting on Acuña like some manager thing. Also, I thought Olson was the one who drove in all the runs, but then it’s like “two hits and three runs”…? Anyway Dubón go-ahead RBI in the 8th sounds like the whole game.
Not to be dramatic but Marlins always fold when a star returns. Acuña leadoff as DH is weird too, like why not just play him at third or something? 7-5 feels close enough that Miami could’ve won if they didn’t have that one bad inning (8th?).