Acuna, Albies lead Braves' HR barrage in NY
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NEW YORK -- Veteran outfielder Nick Markakis has been around some great starting lineups over his 13-year MLB career, but he calls the current Braves lineup one of the best he's ever been a part of. And he has reasons to think that way.
The Braves received contributions throughout their batting order on Thursday, as Kurt Suzuki, Ronald Acuña Jr., Markakis and Ozzie Albies each went deep in an 11-0 win over the Mets at Citi Field, which clinched a three-game sweep.
"I've been a part of some good lineups, but this one -- top to bottom -- has power, speed. It's all there," Markakis said. "We are having great at-bats. We've had a pretty tough schedule. We're putting good at-bats together, barreling them, making them work. Things are turning around."
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With Mets left-hander Jason Vargas on the mound, Atlanta took a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning when Freddie Freeman scored on a double by Markakis, who extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Suzuki followed and hit a monster two-run homer to left, giving Atlanta 32 first-inning runs over 30 games.
Acuna tagged Vargas for his second Major League home run to lead off the fifth, and after Freeman walked, Markakis clobbered a two-run homer, his fifth of the season, to give Atlanta a 6-0 lead. Albies blasted a three-run shot off Mets reliever Matt Harvey in the seventh inning for his 10th long ball of the year, which ties for the National League lead.
"You look at Ozzie, people are like, 'He is so small,' but he has strong wrists. His hands are lighting quick. You can't teach that," Suzuki said. "That's just special talent."
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Acuna's homer left the bat with a 112-mph exit velocity, per Statcast™, making it the Braves' hardest-hit ball this season and their third-hardest home run since Statcast™ began tracking in 2015. The blast was projected to travel 451 feet, tying it for the second-longest Braves homer during that time. Freeman hit one 464 feet in '15.
"It's not just one guy. It's all of them. To a man, they go up there and it's almost like their at-bats are a big deal," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "They are not taking any at-bats off. They are not giving anything away. They are grinding through each and every one of them."