Three Homers in One Inning and the Braves Just Buried Cleveland: 11-5

The Atlanta Braves turned the sixth inning into a hitting clinic on Friday night, and the Cleveland Guardians had no answer. Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, and Michael Harris II all went deep in the same frame as Atlanta cruised to an 11-5 win at Truist Park. When you put six runs across in one inning, you're usually walking out of the stadium with a W.

One Inning Changed Everything

Atlanta sent 10 batters to the plate in the sixth, ripped seven hits, and turned a close game into a blowout. Here's how it unfolded: Acuna jumped on a hanging curve ball for his first home run of the season, tying the game at 2-2. Then Drake Baldwin singled to center before Olson stepped up and crushed a 3-0 pitch to right field for a two-run blast that put the Braves up 4-2.

Austin Riley added a single to left field and scored on Dominic Smith's RBI single for a 5-2 lead. Harris capped off the barrage with a two-run shot that pushed Atlanta's lead to 7-2. Smith notched two hits in the inning and was a force all night at the plate.

Smith Was Unstoppable

Dominic Smith went 3-for-4 and finished with two runs scored and two RBIs, raising his average to .357. Even more impressive, all nine Braves either scored or drove in at least one run. That's the kind of offensive balance that wins ballgames in April.

The Guardians tried to claw back in the eighth when they loaded the bases, and Rhys Hoskins delivered an RBI single to score Chase DeLauter. Angel Martinez followed with an RBI bloop single that brought in two more runs, cutting the deficit to 9-5. But it wasn't enough. Baldwin added an RBI double in the ninth for the final 10-5 margin before Atlanta closed it out 11-5.

The Pitching Side

Bryce Elder lasted 4 2/3 innings for Atlanta, allowing five hits and two runs while striking out three. Reliever Tyler Kinley (2-0) picked up the win with a scoreless sixth inning. For Cleveland, Slade Cecconi (0-2) took the loss, throwing 5 1/3 innings and giving up seven hits and five runs.

The Braves struck first in the third when Acuna's broken-bat RBI single snuck past a drawn-in infield to plate Smith for a 1-0 lead. Kyle Manzardo answered with a solo home run in the fourth to tie it up at 1-1 before the Guardians took a 2-1 lead in the fifth on an error by Braves left fielder Mike Yastrzemski that allowed Angel Martinez to score.

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