The Atlanta Braves will give Ronald Acuña Jr. the leadoff spot and a designated hitter role Monday as they look to finish off the Philadelphia Phillies in their four-game series.
Acuña batted second in Sunday’s 5-4 comeback win. Manager Walt Weiss moved him to the top of the order for the 1:05 p.m. finale at Citizens Bank Park.
The Braves have already taken two of the first three games. They sit five games ahead of the Phillies in the NL East after Sunday’s rally.
Weiss also kept Acuña out of the field. Lane Thomas will start in right field instead.
The rest of the Braves lineup has Drake Baldwin hitting second, followed by Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Thomas, Michael Harris II, Mauricio Dubón, Austin Riley and Ha-Seong Kim.
Acuña has been on a tear. He owns a four-game hitting streak in which he has gone 10-for-17 with two doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs.
His biggest swing of the weekend came Sunday. Acuña crushed a three-run homer in the eighth inning that tied the score after the Phillies had led 4-1.
He took his time rounding the bases and then gave himself a curtain call as the Philadelphia crowd booed.
“I love the fans from Philly because they boo me,” Acuña said. “So, that’s motivation. I enjoy the environment.”
Weiss liked what he saw from his star.
“The great ones rise to the occasion and that was huge,” the manager said.
Riley, who later delivered the game-winning triple, agreed.
“It’s really just special what [Acuña] is capable of doing when he’s right,” Riley said.
The recent surge goes beyond the current series. Since Aug. 28, Acuña has hit .500 (17-for-34) with three doubles and three home runs.
For the full season he is batting .255 with a .351 on-base percentage and .446 slugging percentage. He has 16 homers, 45 RBIs, 52 runs and 20 stolen bases in 396 plate appearances.
Grant Holmes (9-5, 3.62 ERA) will start for Atlanta. Jesús Luzardo (13-5, 3.02 ERA) takes the ball for Philadelphia.
The Braves improved to 85-58 with Sunday’s win. The Phillies dropped to 80-63.
A victory Monday would give Atlanta three of four in the series and a little more breathing room in the division race with three weeks left in the regular season.
Weiss has mixed Acuña between the leadoff and two-hole spots and between the outfield and DH depending on the matchup and how the slugger’s legs feel.
The 28-year-old missed time earlier this year with hamstring problems. Right now he looks like the player who can change a game in one at-bat.
The Braves will try to keep that going against a Phillies club that still has plenty of fight left.
