MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Ronald Acuña Jr. and Freddie Freeman hit first-pitch homers off Minnesota ace Jose Berríos and the Atlanta Braves routed the Twins 12-7 Tuesday night.
The first three batters in Atlanta’s lineup – Acuña, Ozzie Albies and Freeman – combined to go 10 for 16 with nine runs and eight RBIs. Acuña scored four runs and Freeman drove in four.
Acuña sent the first pitch by Berríos into deep center field for his sixth leadoff homer of the season and the 14th of his career.
Freeman made it 4-0 when he hit Berrios’ first offering for a three-run shot in the fourth inning.
It was one of the worst starts of Berríos’ career. He allowed a career-high nine runs in the loss and slipped to 10-6. His bad night got worse in the sixth inning when he balked in a run. Albies hit an RBI triple later in the inning that chased Berrios.