Atlanta Braves see real Ronald Acuña Jr. reemerge at perfect time (original) (raw)

Also: Braves’ Ha-Seong Kim benched for Mateo, Atlanta Dream play dominant defense.

Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, May 31, 2026. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Ronald Acuña was less than his best for long enough that I started to worry we’d maybe seen the last of the swashbuckling outfielder.

And did we even want to see that Acuña again? He could get hurt if he goes all out. Better to play it safe and just sock homers.

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Weiss benches Kim for Mateo

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Atlanta Dream dominate with defense

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Three quick thoughts

When I heard about Georgia’s Tre Phelps getting tossed from Sunday’s game for taunting, I figured the umpires just weren’t letting him have fun. Then I saw the replay of his celebration and, well, it was excessive. Georgia beat Liberty to advance to the best-of-three super regionals, but Phelps must sit out the first game.
Oklahoma’s comeback from six runs down at Russ Chandler Stadium on Sunday happened right after the bracket seemingly opened up for national No. 2 seed Georgia Tech. Saint Mary’s eliminated UCLA from the Los Angeles regional. The Bruins are the second national No. 1 seed to lose in the regionals, after Vanderbilt in 2025.
I started to think I underestimated the Phillies. They won 19 of 27 games before going to Dodger Stadium for a weekend series. The Phillies lost two of three games in LA. They were 10½ games behind the Braves in the NL East before the surge. They are 9½ games behind the Braves after it.

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Michael Cunningham has covered Atlanta sports for the AJC since 2010.