ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley and Matt Olson homered for the MLB-leading Atlanta Braves, who kept up their power barrage with a 12-5 rout of the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday.
Acuña launched a three-run shot over the center-field wall off Lucas Giolito (6-8) in the third inning, then Riley and Olson went back to back in the fourth to cap a six-run outburst that finished off the Angels’ starter.
The Braves hit seven homers in taking two of three from the Angels, with the long ball accounting for 11 of their 18 runs. Through 106 games, Atlanta has 206 homers — on pace for 315 for the season, which would best the major league record of 307 set by the 2019 Minnesota Twins.
Yonny Chirinos (5-4), making his second start for the Braves since being acquired after Tampa Bay designated him for assignment, pitched five strong innings before being lifted after the first two batters singled in the sixth.
Chirinos wound up being charged with three runs after both runners came around to score against reliever Michael Tonkin, who could’ve escaped the jam but failed to touch the bag while covering first on a potential inning-ending double play.
Giolito had a far worse outing in second start for the Angels, who acquired him from the Chicago White Sox in one of several trades designed to boost Los Angeles’ playoff hopes. He matched his career high by giving up nine earned runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Acuña’s 420-foot shot was his 25th homer of a historic season that has stamped him as the National League’s MVP favorite. He also reached on a single, double and a walk, coming around to score each time.
The Braves hit consecutive homers for the second night in a row, with Riley’s two-run shot — his 25th — followed by Olson’s 37th homer.
Hunter Renfroe and Eduardo Escobar had two RBIs apiece for the Angels.
TRAINER’S ROOM
The Braves placed RHP Daysbel Hernández on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain, as he joined three other Atlanta relievers sidelined with various ailments. LHP Brad Hand joined the roster, one day after being acquired from Colorado in a trade-deadline deal. Coming back from Tommy John surgery, Hernández made his major-league debut on July 23. He allowed three runs in four appearances covering 3 2/3 innings.
UP NEXT
Angels: RHP Shohei Ohtani (9-5, 3.43 ERA), who was skipped over in Atlanta after dealing with blister issues, makes his first start in a week to begin a four-game series at Seattle on Thursday. He’ll be opposed by RHP Bryan Woo (1-3, 4.96) of the Mariners.
Braves: After an off day, Atlanta heads to Chicago on Friday for the start of a three-game series against the Cubs. The team hasn’t officially announced who will take the mound, but it’s likely that ace Max Fried will get the nod as he returns from a lengthy stay on the injured list.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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