Braves Crush Tigers 10-1 as Acuña Homers, Elder Shines
UPDATE: The Atlanta Braves delivered a commanding performance, crushing the Detroit Tigers 10-1 last night in Detroit. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a spectacular home run, and Bryce Elder showcased his pitching prowess, going seven innings strong, as the Tigers continue to struggle, marking their fourth consecutive loss.
The Tigers are in dire straits, having lost seven of their last eight games, and are now only three games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. Their recent performances have been bleak, outscored 17-2 over the last three contests.
Elder (8-10) allowed just one run and five hits while striking out six and walking none. This was his first encounter against the Tigers, making him the only current MLB pitcher to have faced every team except his own. The Braves jumped to an early lead, scoring three runs in each of the first two innings against former teammate Charlie Morton, who had a night to forget, allowing six runs in just four outs.
In a notable moment, Morton became the fifth pitcher in MLB history to hit 200 batters, a dubious milestone not reached in 98 years. Jurickson Profar kicked off the game with a double, while Morton hit Matt Olson before walking Acuña and Drake Baldwin, forcing in a run. Ozzie Albies contributed with a two-run single, putting the Braves in control early on.
The second inning saw Nacho Alvarez Jr. get on base with an infield single, followed by Olson’s RBI double, extending the lead to 4-0, before Acuña’s two-run homer capped Morton’s night. Although Spencer Torkelson hit his 30th homer for the Tigers in the fourth, Elder maintained his dominance, allowing only four additional hits.
The Braves didn’t stop there; Ha-Seong Kim added a two-run homer in the eighth, while Baldwin also hit a two-run shot in the ninth, solidifying the Braves’ victory at 10-1.
The Tigers nearly rallied in the third when Parker Meadows tripled with two outs, but Elder efficiently secured the inning by getting Gleyber Torres to ground out.
Key Stat: Morton, who was born after 1900, is now the first pitcher to reach 200 hit batters since Homer Summa in 1927.
Looking ahead, the Tigers will send Keider Montero (5-3, 4.32 ERA) to the mound against Braves’ Joey Wentz (5-6, 5.56) in a crucial game tomorrow. The Tigers need to turn their fortunes around quickly, as their playoff hopes continue to dwindle.
Stay tuned for more updates as this situation develops.
