Rookie star Ronald Acuna Jr. was back in the lineup for the Atlanta Braves on Thursday
Zach Britton Jersey , one day after being plunked in the left arm with a pitch that sparked a national debate about whether it’s ever acceptable to throw
at a hitter intentionally.Acuna said his elbow felt fine less than 24 hours
after he took a 97 mph fastball from Miami’s Jose Urena .Major League Baseball
doled out a six-game suspension to the Marlins pitcher.In the opener of an
important four-game series against the Colorado Rockies, Acuna received a
standing ovation from the crowd at SunTrust Park. He playfully patted umpire Pat
Hoberg on his way to the plate and started the bottom of the first with a sharp
single up the middle.The 20-year-old phenom finished 1 for 4, snapping a streak
of five straight games with a homer that tied a franchise record. In his final
chance to set a mark all his own, Acuna lined out to right in the eighth. The
Rockies rallied for three unearned runs in the ninth to beat the Braves 5-3,
shaving Atlanta’s NL East lead to 1½ games over Philadelphia.As a precaution,
Acuna wore a red protective pad on his left arm.“Obviously, it was kind of a
hard hit,” Acuna said through a translator after taking an early session of
batting practice at SunTrust Park . “But I’m not feeling any pain and I feel
good right now.”The Braves breathed a big sigh of relief, knowing what a
significant injury would have meant to their postseason chances.Acuna tried to
stay in the game after being hit by Urena’s first pitch Wednesday, but he had to
leave in the second inning . X-rays taken shortly afterward were negative, and
the Braves also ordered a CT scan to make sure their prized rookie was OK. The
scan came back normal, and Acuna was cleared to play.With help from multilingual
teammate Ender Inciarte, Acuna even crafted a text to Brian Snitker letting the
Braves manager know he was ready to go.Snitker, who was ejected the previous
night along with Urena for leading a charge from the Atlanta dugout, was clearly
relieved.“It’s nice to be 20 and strong,” the manager said with a smile. “I’m as
excited as I can be that he gets to go out there and play today.”Acuna has lived
up to the hype since being called up by the Braves early in the season. In
recent days, he’s been downright unstoppable with homers in five straight games
— including leadoff shots in three straight games before he was struck by
Urena’s pitch.The five-game homer streak remained intact under baseball rules
because Acuna didn’t have an official at-bat in the finale of the series against
the Marlins
http://www.oriolesfanproshop.com/authentic-darren-o_day-jersey , which was won by the Braves to complete a four-game sweep . In a quirk of
baseball scoring, the leadoff streak ended.Now, both streaks are over.Acuna
failed in his bid to become the first Braves player in the modern era to homer
in six straight games. The major league record is eight in a row, shared by Ken
Griffey Jr. (1993), Don Mattingly (1987) and Dale Long (1956). While Urena
insisted he was merely trying to pitch inside to set up Acuna for an outside
pitch , Snitker was livid about the incident. The manager said he had no doubt
about the Miami right-hander’s intent: It was intentional.“Absolutely,” Snitker
said. “Just watching it, I can tell.”It’s long been an unwritten rule in
baseball that a hot hitter can expect to be brushed back. Former first baseman
Keith Hernandez, now a New York Mets broadcaster, took it a step further by
saying the Marlins had every right to bean Acuna under the circumstances
.“You’ve lost three games. He’s hit three homers. You’ve got to hit him,”
Hernandez said during the Mets-Orioles game. “I’m sorry. People are not going to
like that, but you’ve got to hit him.”Snitker scoffed at Hernandez’s logic.“I
don’t buy that at all,” the Braves manager said. “I would not ever begrudge
somebody for doing the job they’re trying to do. You don’t want him to hit
hitters? Pitch better.”Joe Torre, MLB’s chief disciplinary officer, imposed a
suspension that would begin Friday unless Urena appeals. The pitcher would have
to push back a scheduled start but could make his return against the Braves; the
NL East rivals meet in another four-game series at Miami beginning next
Thursday.An appeal would likely push back Urena’s next appearance against the
Braves to 2019.Torre also handed Braves first base coach Eric Young a one-game
suspension for his actions during the melee after both dugouts emptied. Young
accepted the punishment and missed Thursday’s game.Colorado manager Bud Black
said there will always be a fine line between pitching inside and hitting a
batter intentionally.“Hitting home runs is part of the game, right? Hitters are
trying to hit the ball hard. Pitchers are trying to do everything they can to
keep hitters from hitting,” said Black
Frank Robinson Jersey , a former pitcher. “A lot of that is disrupting timing, a lot of that is throwing the ball down and away — tough to hit a homer
down there — and some of that is pitching inside aggressively to keep guys from
looking out over the plate.”Acuna has really flourished since moving into the
leadoff spot right after the All-Star break. He raised his average to .287 with
19 homers, 43 RBIs and nine stolen bases, igniting the Braves with his
enthusiasm and seemingly boundless energy while making sure never to show up an
opponent.“I feel he’s respecting the game,” Inciarte said. “You don’t want to
see anybody getting hit for no reason.” SEATTLE (AP) — Erasmo Ramirez put a poor
outing behind him and returned to his recent form.Ramirez allowed one run in 5
1/3 innings, and the Seattle Mariners‘ bullpen shut down the Baltimore Orioles
the rest of the way in a 2-1 victory Monday.Ramirez (2-3) allowed two hits,
struck out five and walked none. The right-hander is 2-1 in five starts since
coming off the disabled list on Aug. 12, but he gave up seven runs on nine hits
in three innings against the Padres on Aug. 29.“The only difference tonight is I
was throwing better strikes and quality strikes,” Ramirez said. “I attacked the
hitters and tried to execute every pitch. I had control of my slider at any
point of the count.”That start in San Diego was the only time since Ramirez
returned to the rotation that he has allowed more than three runs.“That’s what
he’s capable of doing, but it has to be on the edges and not the middle of the
plate,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “I thought Erasmo threw the ball
really well. He had a good cutter and his command was pretty good.”Edwin Diaz
struck out the side in the ninth for his 52nd save and 26th one-run save, both
of which lead the majors. Zach Duke, Nick Vincent and Alex Colome combined to
pitch 2 2/3 scoreless innings before Diaz finished off the three-hitter.“They
battled, but I made good pitches with my slider,” Diaz said. “I just go pitch by
pitch. That’s what I tell myself.”Ryon Healy had an RBI single and Dee Gordon
added a sacrifice fly, both off Josh Rogers (1-1), who made his second major
league start and allowed four hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings.“That’s a
really good lineup they got over there
http://www.oriolesfanproshop.com/authentic-ubaldo-jimenez-jersey ,” Rogers said. “But I was pretty confident the whole time. I was pretty calm and
just trying to give the team a chance to win and get deep in the game.”The
Mariners were coming off a four-game split at Oakland that dealt a setback to
their playoff hopes. The Orioles, who have the majors’ worst record, have lost
four straight, scoring two runs or fewer in three of those games.“It’s kind of
struggling,” manager Buck Showalter said of the Orioles’ offense. “We face a guy
tonight that’s had his issues and we just aren’t swinging the bats very well.
We’re getting behind in a lot of counts and swinging at pitches out of the zone,
uncharacteristically.”Jonathan Villar homered off the right-field foul pole in
the fourth for Baltimore. Healy tied it in the bottom of the inning with a
single to center after Rogers walked Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz.Gordon’s
go-ahead sacrifice fly followed Cameron Maybin’s leadoff triple to the wall in
right-center in the fifth. Maybin had two hits after Servais told him before the
game to “let it rip.”“He talked to me about being more aggressive,” Maybin said.
“That’s what I did and I’ll continue to work on it. It’s going to take everybody
right now down the stretch. Everybody has to bring the energy and have fun and
see where the chips fall.”ROSTER MOVESThe Orioles recalled C Chance Sisco and
RHP Jimmy Yacabonis from Triple-A Norfolk. Sisco was the DH Monday, going
0-for-3. Yacabonis entered in the sixth and did not allow a hit in 1 2/3
innings.TRAINER’S ROOMOrioles: 1B Chris Davis was a late scratch because of an
illness.Mariners: LHP Marco Gonzales (strained neck) pitched a bullpen session
Monday. Gonzales was placed on the 10-day DL on Aug. 27, retroactive to Aug. 24.
“Marco may have one more bullpen outing before we try to bring him back into the
rotation,” Servais said. DH Nelson Cruz was in the lineup after fouling a pitch
off his right ankle on Sunday. “It’s really sore today, but you can’t keep that
guy out of the starting lineup,” Servais said.UP NEXTRHP Alex Cobb (4-15, 5.11
ERA) will make his 26th start of the season Tuesday for the Orioles. Since Aug.
1, Cobb is 2-1 with a 2.66 ERA in six starts, including a complete-game victory
on Aug. 18. LHP Wade LeBlanc (8-3, 3.71) will make his 23rd start of the season
for the Mariners. LeBlanc pitched seven scoreless innings in a 7-1 win at
Oakland on Aug. 30.
