Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. hopes to feast on Marlins

Ronald Acuna Jr. returned to action on Thursday and is expected to be in the lineup again on Friday night when his Atlanta Braves open a three-game series at the Miami Marlins to close the regular season.

Sure, the Braves (93-66) already have clinched their seventh National League East title over the past nine years, but getting Acuna back up to speed is paramount.

A five-time All-Star and the 2023 NL Most Valuable Player, Acuna went 2-for-5 on Thursday and scored a run in a 7-6 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. He missed Wednesday's game vs. the Reds after suffering a bruised left shin on Tuesday in the series opener.

For the season, Acuna has an .813 OPS. This also is his first year with at least 20 homers and 20 steals since his MVP season.

"He's a freakish athlete with crazy talent," Braves manager Walt Weiss said of Acuna, 28. "He's fun to watch when he's like this."

Weiss was referencing Acuna's 1.119 OPS from Aug. 28 until his shin injury Tuesday, ranking him second in the majors in that category during that span.

"When (Acuna is) healthy and on one of these streaks, he's one of the best players in baseball," Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies told MLB.com.

Acuna leads the Braves with 21 steals -- 52 fewer than he had in 2023. Acuna's 20 homers this season ranks fifth on the team behind first baseman Matt Olson (41), center fielder Michael Harris II (26), catcher Drake Baldwin (24) and Albies (22).

The Braves, who have not announced their starter for Friday's game, will face Marlins right-hander Eury Perez (7-11, 4.14 ERA).

Perez has never beaten the Braves, going 0-3 with a 9.78 ERA in five starts.

This will be Perez's last start of 2026, and he is in dire need of a good performance. After posting an ERA under 1.85 in seven starts in June and July, Perez slipped a bit in August (3.46). Then, in five appearances in September, he has an 8.84 ERA.

As a team, the Marlins (78-81) need to sweep the Braves to avoid their third straight losing season. Miami needs two wins to improve on last season's 79-win campaign.

Unfortunately for the Marlins, closer Pete Fairbanks (team-high 19 saves) is on the injured list. The remaining bullpen leaders are Calvin Faucher (3.34 ERA in 68 games), Michael Petersen (3.08 in 64), Tyler Zuber (5.67 in 44) and Josh Ekness (3.34 in 29).

Earlier this week, Ekness hit 102 mph on the radar gun. It was the second-fastest pitch thrown by a Marlins player since that data started to be recorded in 2008. Only Tyron Guerrero (102.5 mph in 2018) has thrown harder.

"I didn't know I was capable of throwing a ball that hard," Ekness told mlb.com.

As for Miami's offense, shortstop Otto Lopez -- a first-time All-Star this year -- is on the verge of finishing his season hitting .300 or above. That would be another first-time feat for Lopez, who currently is batting .304.