Ozzie Albies continued his torrid tear at the plate, homering and driving in five runs as the Atlanta Braves blasted the Miami Marlins 12-1 on Wednesday night, capping a lopsided three-game sweep at loanDepot Park.
Jurickson Profar homered twice, Matt Olson and Michael Harris II also went deep, and Atlanta outscored Miami 21-1 over the final 10 innings of the series. The victory marked another offensive outburst for a Braves team suddenly clicking on all cylinders.
Albies, who hit two homers on Tuesday, launched a three-run drive in the third inning off Marlins starter Ryan Gusto (7-7) after Olson’s two-run blast had put Atlanta in front. Albies finished the series going 5-for-8 with nine RBI, cementing himself as the difference-maker in back-to-back games.
Profar provided the early spark, hammering Gusto’s second pitch of the night over the wall to set the tone. He later added another solo shot in the seventh. Harris stretched the lead even further with a two-run homer in the sixth to make it 11-1.
Ronald Acuña Jr. never got an official at-bat but still managed to stir plenty of drama. The reigning NL MVP drew four walks and was hit by a pitch immediately after Olson’s homer in the third. Acuña took a few steps toward the mound before heading to first, sparking both benches to empty. No punches were thrown, but crew chief Mark Wagner issued warnings, prompting Braves manager Brian Snitker to argue and ultimately get ejected.
“Ronnie’s a target sometimes, and we just want to protect our guy,” Snitker said afterward. “I didn’t think the warnings were handled right.”
Meanwhile, Joey Wentz (3-3) turned in one of his best outings of the year for Atlanta. The left-hander scattered five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, striking out five while walking only one.
For Miami, the loss was another gut punch in a rough August. After winning six straight series to claw back to .500 on Aug. 3, the Marlins (62-71) have now dropped seven consecutive sets, falling further out of contention.
In the third inning, Profar worked a leadoff walk ahead of Olson’s two-run blast, and Drake Baldwin followed with a free pass before Albies crushed his three-run shot, breaking the game wide open at 6-0.
Albies drove in nine runs across the last two games of the series, hitting three homers in that span. Braves: Head to Philadelphia to open a four-game set Thursday. RHP Cal Quantrill (4-11, 5.51 ERA) faces RHP Aaron Nola (2-7, 6.52 ERA). Marlins: Begin a four-game series at the New York Mets on Thursday night.
