Braves One Win Away From Their First Three-Series Sweep Since 2018, But Ronald Acuna Jr. is Hitting .161

Atlanta is on the verge of something they haven't done in eight years: winning three straight series to start the season. The Braves took two of three from Kansas City, swept the Athletics the same way, and now they're looking at Arizona on Sunday afternoon in Phoenix to complete the hat trick. One problem? Their biggest star is ice cold at the plate, and everybody knows it.

Acuna Jr. is Late to Everything Right Now

Ronald Acuna Jr. is batting .161 through nine games, and that's not a typo. First-year Braves manager Walt Weiss isn't panicking, but he's definitely watching closely. "His swing looks kind of late," Weiss said. "But they all go through ruts. We've seen all these guys go through ruts before. When he gets rolling, it's going to be fun to watch. But he seems kind of late to me, right now."

The good news? The Braves' pitching staff has been lights out. Atlanta allowed just three earned runs across the last four games, which is absurd. They already took the series 2-1 after outscoring Arizona 19-2 in the first two wins before falling 2-1 on Saturday.

Martin Perez Gets the Ball in a Crucial Matchup

Atlanta is throwing 35-year-old veteran Martin Perez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) at Arizona for the series finale. Perez signed a minor league deal in January and has his contract selected as a reliable lefty arm. He threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief against Oakland on Tuesday, and Weiss loves what he's seeing. "He's a salty veteran. He's been a good pitcher in this league for a long time. He threw the ball really well for us in that relief appearance last time out, so I expect him to be good again."

This will be Perez's 280th career start and his fourth against the Diamondbacks. He's 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA in three previous appearances against Arizona, so there's plenty of room to write a better story on Sunday.

Arizona's Offense is MIA, But Brandon Pfaadt Gets a Chance to Bounce Back

The Diamondbacks swept Detroit at home but their bats are stuck in the mud. Arizona is batting just .204 on the season and has failed to score more than two runs in any of the last four games. Manager Torey Lovullo is preaching patience. "If we zone in, try not to do too much, wait for our pitch, it's the art of hitting and the beauty of baseball. When you do it, it's sweet music. When you chase, you get yourself into bad counts."

Rookie Jose Fernandez has been a bright spot, hitting .333 with two home runs. On the mound for Arizona, Brandon Pfaadt (0-0, 7.50 ERA) allowed five runs across six innings against Detroit on Tuesday in a no-decision loss, though the D-backs won that game 7-5. Pfaadt is 2-0 with a 5.66 ERA in four career starts against the Braves, so he's had success against Atlanta before.

First pitch Sunday in Phoenix. The Braves are one win away from something special. Don't sleep on this one.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.