Acuña homers for Braves, Mahle turns in another stellar outing in 12-2 rout of Phillies

Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. launched a home run that propelled an eight-run fourth inning, paving the way for a 12-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night. Tyler Mahle delivered an impressive performance, contributing to the Braves' second consecutive win over the NL East rivals. This was a much simpler matchup compared to the previous series game.

Acuña's towering shot barely cleared the wall in front of Phillies' bullpen, setting the stage for a thrilling inning. He added a run-scoring single to cap off the big inning. Philadelphia was one out away from escaping the inning without further damage.

The Braves were not without their challenges, as they had to rally three times in 11 innings to secure the opening series win. Ozzie Albies' walk and Michael Harris II's single set the table for the Phillies' rally. However, the Phillies' bullpen, entering the game after Jesús Luzardo was scratched with a tight shoulder, faltered as Grant Holman made his first major league appearance of the season.

Mauricio Dubón contributed a two-run single, Drake Baldwin added a double off the wall, and sloppy Philadelphia play led to five unearned runs. Bryson Stott's throwing error on a routine play allowed another run to score on a wild pitch. Mahle (5-10) has been a standout performer for the Braves since his acquisition ahead of the trade deadline, tallying a 1.25 ERA in seven starts with Atlanta. He allowed just six hits, recording three strikeouts and no walks in his latest outing.

The Braves will aim for a sweep of the series when Mahle (5-10) takes the mound against Philadelphia's Andrew Painter (3-9, 5.71) on Sunday.