MILWAUKEE -- Luis Lara thought he had a double.
Ronald Acuña Jr. had other ideas.
Leading off in the fifth inning, Lara shot an 81 mph slider from Chris Sale down the right-field line and took off for second as the ball raced toward the corner. Acuña cut it off before it reached the wall, spun and unleashed a 92.3 mph throw that traveled on a line to Mauricio Dubón’s glove just in front of second base, erasing Lara as he tried to stretch the hit.
The throw was about as clean as it gets, and both Venezuelan outfielders seemed to appreciate it. Acuña and Lara exchanged smirks after the play, a brief moment of mutual recognition after Acuña turned what looked like an easy extra-base hit into an out.
For Acuña, the play was another reminder that his impact extends well beyond what he does at the plate. With Atlanta’s offense still searching for its first breakthrough against Jacob Misiorowski, Acuña created one with his arm instead, stealing an extra base -- and potentially a run -- from Milwaukee.
More importantly for Atlanta, the play kept Milwaukee from immediately putting another runner in scoring position and helped preserve a 2-0 deficit entering the sixth. Michael Harris II's RBI single in the eighth brought the Braves within one run, but they ultimately lost 2-1 to the Brewers at American Family Field on Friday.