Acuña, Braves continue to put up historic 1st-inning numbers

ATLANTA -- Scoring at least five runs in the first inning is a bit of a rarity. Unless you are the Braves, who have done that more over their past eight games than they have lost over their past 16.

Thoughts of one of baseball’s hottest pitchers possibly subduing the game’s most electric offense quickly evaporated as the Braves used a six-run first inning to propel them to a 7-0 win over the Marlins on Saturday afternoon at Truist Park. Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies got the offensive showing started with back-to-back homers against Marlins rookie Eury Pérez.

“I’ve never seen anything like that first-inning thing,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.

The Braves’ first-inning production has been ridiculous throughout the season, especially over the past few weeks. They have scored five-plus runs in the first inning seven times this year, including three times within the past eight days.

The D-backs were the only other team to enter Saturday having tallied a pair of five-run firsts this year. In other words, the Braves have more five-run opening frames over their past eight games than any team has had all year.

“I’ve seen enough where not much surprises me anymore,” 39-year-old Braves pitcher Charlie Morton said. “But that is pretty rare.”

Instead of making a statement during this National League East showdown, the Marlins have been overwhelmed by the Braves, who notched a five-run first inning on the way to claiming a 16-4 win in Friday night’s series opener. They then ended Pérez’s MLB-best 21-inning scoreless streak by chasing him with one out in Saturday’s opening frame.

“It’s absolutely incredible,” Acuña said through an interpreter. “It’s unbelievable to start a game like that.”

The Braves tallied six straight hits to begin the first. Acuña and Albies hit back-to-back homers in front of consecutive singles recorded by Austin Riley and Matt Olson. Sean Murphy and Marcell Ozuna followed with consecutive doubles off Pérez, who had not allowed more than five hits in any of his previous nine career starts.

“I don't know if the league has figured it out just yet,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “We're trying to figure it out ourselves. Acuña, with that guy at the leadoff spot, he is tough to get out. If he's not hitting himself in, you've got Olson and Albies and Riley. It's a really good top half and bottom half of a lineup and the league hasn't done a good job yet of figuring out that first inning.”

The Braves have gained an MLB-best 55-27 record with wins in 15 of their past 16 games. They are eight games in front of the second-place Marlins, who have lost just 10 of their past 33 games.

The Marlins are 1-8 against the Braves this year and 47-28 against the rest of the league. They were hoping their luck might change with Pérez, who entered this outing having allowed just one run in the 33 innings completed over his past six starts.

But he was the latest to be ambushed by Atlanta’s mighty lineup, which has scored 87 runs in the first inning. The Dodgers entered Saturday ranked second among MLB teams with 66 such runs.

The Braves’ first-inning run total is the third-highest ever produced through a team’s first 82 games going back to 1974. The only teams to produce a higher total through this stretch were the 2000 Cardinals (94) and 2006 Cardinals (90).

Acuña’s leadoff homer was the 30th of his career and the seventh he has hit against the Marlins. The NL MVP candidate leads MLB in these first-inning categories: Runs (28), hits (33) and doubles (10). He ranks second in stolen bases (9) and OPS (1.255).

“Whether it’s a walk or a base hit, the next thing you know, he’s in scoring position,” Riley said. “What he’s doing this year is incredible.”

Acuña is the catalyst, but he’s not the only one creating noise in the first inning. Olson leads the Majors with 10 first-inning homers and Riley ranks second with eight. Acuña (33), Olson (25) and Riley (25) are the only NL players with at least 25 hits in the first.

“They grind at-bats,” Snitker said. “I think all the runs we’re scoring and all of the damage we’re doing is a byproduct of that.”