Aside from the Braves extending their win streak to six, one of the biggest underlying storylines was Ronald Acuña Jr. getting hit twice — the second plunking him on the hand and forcing an early exit.
It didn’t take long for Bryce Elder to respond, drilling CJ Abrams square in the back side in what was about as obvious of a message pitch as you’ll see. Both benches were issued warnings, but things never escalated beyond that point.
The immediate concern, of course, was Acuña. He was sent for X-rays right away, and fortunately, they came back negative. Initially labeled as day-to-day, any worry was short-lived — he’s already back in the lineup for Game 2 of the Braves four-game set against the Nationals.
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(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)
