The Atlanta Braves entered Tuesday night in a tied best-of-five series in the NLDS against the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
And they’ve been able to hang around despite a continued struggle for superstar Ronald Acuna Jr., whose lack of production at the plate continued into Game 3.
Acuna Jr. Struggles in Game vs. Dodgers
It’s been a challenging postseason for the Braves star, and on Tuesday night, he opened the game 0-for-3 at the plate with a strikeout in which he used a challenge in the first inning on a pitch that was pretty obviously a strike.
His third at-bat of the night came with two runners on base, potentially giving him a chance to tie the game or give Atlanta the lead, but he grounded out to second base to move to 0-for-8 this postseason with runners in scoring position.
Acuna Jr. has recorded just three hits in 21 postseason at-bats, and he hasn’t hit a home run or driven in a run through six games.
Ronald Acuña Jr. grounds out on a 3-1 count to strand two runners in scoring position https://t.co/pDm5FFnRPY
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 6, 2026
Braves Fans Upset With Acuna Jr.
As expected, the playoffs bring more attention, and Braves fans have grown accustomed to Acuna Jr. being the go-to star when they need a big play. That simply hasn’t happened so far this postseason, and fans have taken notice.
“Seeing Ronald Acuna Jr not come alive in the biggest moments is truly a let down. Seems he’s always done it and played for that very reason, now he just looks disinterested at it all,” a fan said.
Someone else added, “Ronald Acuna, Jr has been a MASSIVE disappointment for the Braves this postseason. It’s to the point where he’s like a guaranteed out at the plate ”
Another person wrote, “I’m ready to move on from Ronald Acuna Jr. 40/70 was awesome. So was the MVP. But I need a dude who shows up in postseason.”
“Braves need to have a serious conversation about Ronald Acuna Jr after this year,” a fan shared.
One more commented, “Ronald Acuna Jr. looks completely lost in his at-bats like we’ve never seen him before.”
Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. Under Fire During NLDS vs. Dodgers