CINCINNATI _ Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies might be tormenting the National League together for a long time. Braves fans saw that dream realized Thursday.
Acuna delivered a go-ahead bloop-double in the eighth inning, while Albies launched a two-run blast in the fifth, helping the team to a 7-4 win that salvaged a series split against the Reds in Cincinnati.
Acuna had three hits and fell a triple short of the cycle in his second career game. His first homer came on a 3-1 pitch in the second inning. The 416-foot shot landed in the fourth row of the upper deck in left field. He got his second hit in the sixth inning.
Albies extended the Braves' lead to 4-0 in the fifth with a homer of his own. It was Albies' 18th extra-base hit of April, setting a new franchise record. He also tied the NL lead with eight homers and leads the majors with 10 doubles.
Freddie Freeman doubled in the eighth and scored on Acuna's hit. He had his first career three-double day and has 12 hits in his past 30 at-bats.
Dansby Swanson drove Acuna home with an ensuing single to add an insurance run. Albies doubled in Ender Inciarte, who's on a 10-game hitting streak, for an additional run in the ninth.
Braves starter Sean Newcomb pitched four solid innings, but couldn't survive the fifth. Joey Votto's three-run shot tied the score at 4-4. It was Votto's third consecutive game with a homer after having none entering the series.
After two letdown losses against a Reds team off to a historically bad start, the Braves rebounded the past two nights. The Reds scored eight combined runs in the last two games after putting up 19 across the first two.
