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Homer-happy Ronald Acuna Jr. makes MLB history in Atlanta Braves' win

Acuna's locked in the proverbial zone right now; and if we've learned anything from baseball movies, we never question the reasoning behind a hot streak.

ATLANTA—Only Ronald Acuna Jr. could make a high-scoring, midweek affair between the Braves and Marlins—one with playoff-battle substance, mind you—seem trivial or even anti-climactic in tone.

But that's where we are with this relentless phenom, with no apparent end in sight.

On Tuesday, Acuna continued his torrid assault of National League pitching by leading off the first inning with a homer in three straight games. But fair warning, that might have been the least of the rookie's accomplishments on this night.

With Tuesday's crushing blow off Marlins starter Trevor Richards, preceding Charlie Culberson's bomb in the first inning, Acuna (20 years old, 284 days) became the youngest player in major-league history to homer in five straight games.

Six innings later, Acuna's three-run blast to right field cemented the Braves' 10-6 win at SunTrust Park, a signature shot which improved Atlanta's National League East lead to two games, coupled with Philly's loss to Boston.

As such, Acuna also became the first rookie in MLB history to register eight homers in the span of eight games.

Adding to the fun, the red-hot Braves (67-51), winners of 13 of their last 17 outings, are now one game from tying the Cubs (68-50) for the NL's best record.

Back in late July, Atlanta was scuffling after a four-game slide and seemingly headed for a late-season swoon.

Fast forward two-plus weeks and Atlanta suddenly appears to be a healthy bet for 92 or more victories, which would likely result in the NL East title.

Pitching, defense and timely hitting have been prominent during this 13-4 stretch; but let's give credit where it's primarily due: Acuna has been carrying the Braves on his back.

During this period of Willie Mays-like dominance, Acuna (two runs, two homers, three hits, four RBI on Tuesday) boasts the following tallies: 10 homers, 19 RBI, 13 runs, a .373 batting average, .415 on-base percentage and a staggering OPS rate that's inching closer to 1.300 by the minute.

And to think, Acuna had logged 37 games in non-leadoff batting slots this season, which for whatever reason, took away the brilliance of the Venezuelan superstar occupying the top spot—his rightful home.

However, that's a worry for another day. For Acuna's locked in the proverbial zone right now; and if we've learned anything from sports movies depicting the trials and tribulations of professional sports, we never question the reasoning behind a hot streak.

Or in Acuna's case, a scalding-hot fortnight.

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