ATLANTA–The Braves might have found a permanent keeper with Ronald Acuna Jr., in terms of occupying the leadoff spot of the Atlanta lineup.
Permanent ... as in maybe the next 10 years.
On Monday, the blue-chip rookie (baseball's No. 1 prospect over the winter) crushed his third homer in as many games and guided Atlanta to a runaway 9-1 victory over Miami, the opener of a day-night doubleheader.
But Acuna's dynastic day didn't end there.
All told, Acuna accounted for one homer (his seventh blast since July 30), two hits, two walks, three runs, three RBI and his eighth steal of the year–the kind of prodigious production that would have made Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson blush.
It was that good. It was that insane to watch.
Counting Monday's early triumph, the Braves have gone 10-4 during Acuna's torrid stretch, which includes seven homers, 13 RBI, 14 runs, a .335 batting average, .361 on-base percentage and OPS rate well above 1.100.
Of equal importance, Atlanta boasts a plus-23 run differential during Acuna's supreme sequence, which begs the question:
What took Braves manager Brian Snitker so long to make this change?'
According to Baseball Reference, Acuna has already logged 37 games in spots 2 through 7 this season; and by far, his most favorable slot stands at the top, with the Venezuela native sporting absurd tallies entering Monday's twinbill: .333 batting, .393 OBP, eight homers, 15 RBI and a 1.109 OPS.
Acuna may have been the unchallenged star of the early rout, but he had to share the limelight with pitcher Touki Toussaint, who enjoyed a spectacular major-league debut on the mound, holding the Marlins to just one run and two hits over six stellar innings (four strikeouts).
Who is Toussaint? He was the famous money-dump throw-in from a 2015 trade, where the Braves landed one of the Diamondbacks' best pitching prospects ... as a reward for assuming full control of Bronson Arroyo's $14 million contract (including buyout); and it proved to be a stupendous acquisition, with Toussaint posting these cumulative numbers at two minor-league stops:
2018: 6-6, 2.68 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 10.7 K/9 rate, 139/49 K-BB rate over 117.1 innings
With the victory, the Braves (65-51) currently own sole possession of first place in the National League East, leading the idle Phillies (65-52) by 1/2 game.
The only downer of the afternoon: Freddie Freeman's hit streak of 14 consecutive games came to a halt.
For the nightcap, Atlanta will send Mike Foltynewicz to the mound.
