“I think we should just take it day-by-day to see how we’re feeling,” Acuña said through interpreter Franco Garcia. “My first priority is to be able to rejoin the team and help the guys on the field. So, that’s really my first concern.”
Acuña was scratched from the Braves’ lineup with lower back tightness less than an hour before the start of Tuesday’s 10-1 loss to the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. He tweaked his back while lifting weights, like he does before the first game of every series.
“I did a movement and just felt it tighten up on me,” Acuña said.
The Braves are hopeful Acuña wakes on Wednesday without any back discomfort, but if this becomes a lingering issue Acuña likely wouldn’t be available to participate in Monday’s T-Mobile Home Run Derby or to serve as one of the National League’s starting outfielders during Tuesday’s All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Truist Park.
Acuña has spoken about how much it would mean to him to participate in both events in front of his hometown fans in attendance for Atlanta’s first All-Star Game since 2000.
“They treated him the whole game,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “We’ll just see how he is tomorrow.”
Learning Acuña was unavailable for Tuesday’s series opener was just another gut punch for the Braves, who have lost 10 of their past 12 games, including each of their past four. With four starters on the 60-day injured list, the club has continued to give starts to 20-year-old Didier Fuentes, who has shown he’s not close to being MLB-ready.
But Snitker said Fuentes was told he was being sent back to the Minors after he allowed the A’s eight runs over just one-plus inning. The young righty has a 13.85 ERA through four career starts and the distinction of being the only Braves pitcher to allow at least eight runs and three homers over one inning or fewer.
This was the first time an Atlanta pitcher has allowed three home runs in an inning or fewer since Josh Collmenter did it in the 10th inning of a May 24, 2017, loss to the Pirates. It’s the first time a Brave has allowed eight earned runs or more over an inning or fewer since Kevin Gausman did it against the Nationals on May 29, 2019.
While the recent injuries suffered by Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach are starting to take a toll on the rotation, the offense still seems to be Atlanta’s greatest liability. Eli White’s fifth-inning solo shot accounted for the only run allowed by A’s starter Jeffrey Springs, who entered having allowed a run within the first three innings in 10 of his past 11 starts.
The Braves have scored one run or fewer in seven of their past 12 games. It’s not a coincidence that Acuña has hit .171 with a .481 OPS during this stretch that goes back to June 25.
Acuña, who missed most of this season’s first two months while recovering from last year’s season-ending knee surgery, hit .385 with nine homers and a 1.188 OPS over the 29 games he played through June 24. The Braves went 13-16 as he built a strong All-Star resume during that stretch.