The Miami Marlins dropped their third-straight game on Saturday as they lost to the Atlanta Braves, 5-4. However, the win came at a high loss for the Georgia team. They found out, following the game, that All-Star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. will miss the rest of the season.
Game Recap
All-Star pitcher Trevor Rogers took the hill for Miami on Saturday, but delivered far from his best stuff. He went just four-plus innings and gave up three runs (two of them being earned), putting the Marlins in an early 1-0 hole. They did, however, bounce back as Adam Duvall drove home two runs in the bottom of the 3rd to move the Marlins in front. Rogers, however, gave the lead right back to Atlanta as he surrendered two more runs in the fourth. A towering blast by Freddie Freeman in the fifth gave the Braves two more runs. While Miami did attempt to come back and came close, they stranded the tying run on base in the bottom of the ninth. Thus, for the third consecutive game, the Braves beat the Fish.
Ronald Acuna Jr.
While the win was cause for celebration among Atlanta, they also had a quite unfortunate and scary moment. All-Star Ronald Acuna Jr. was carted off the field in the bottom of the 5th when Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit an inside-of-the-park home run. This was following an attempted catch in right field and an awkward landing on his right leg. This later was revealed to be a complete tear of his right ACL. Acuna will be out for the rest of the year and he’ll miss a minimum of 9-10 months of baseball activities in any shape, way, or form.
Funeral March
The Marlins’ destiny for the 2021 campaign seems to be written for last place in the NL East, far behind whoever wins the division. However, Miami will retain former Manager of the Year Don Mattingly for the 2022 campaign. While this may be good or bad, one thing is clear. Something must change between now and next year for this team to go anywhere.
What’s Next?
The Marlins will wrap up their three-game set against the division-rival Braves on Sunday at 1:10 PM EST. This will also be their final game before the All-Star Break. Pablo Lopez will take the bump for Miami as they attempt to take one from Atlanta.