Ronald Acuña sends Adam Wainwright a hilarious message on his first pitch

With St. Louis Cardinals legend Adam Wainwright still in search of his 200th win, Atlanta Braves MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr. sent a loud message into the night sky early. Facing the Braves lineup was never an easy task for Wainwright, a pitcher who has struggled this season.

Prior to his start against the Braves, Wainwright said that his last start against Atlanta -- a team he grew up rooting for -- didn't have any particular meaning to him

“I mean, if I’m going to be honest, the only one I’m going to be emotional about is Busch Stadium,” said Wainwright, per MLB.com. “I love playing here, and I love coming to Atlanta and I’ll be sad to not come to these great parks anymore. But I’m OK with it.”

Wainwright's first pitch was sent into the right-center field bleachers by Acuña. It wasn't Waino's best effort, as his get-me-over pitch didn't have nearly enough break.

Braves slugger Ronald Acuña Jr. proves why he's the NL MVP frontrunner against Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright

Wainwright will go down as one of the best pitchers in Cardinals history, but this hasn't been his year. Waino has an ERA over eight, and his first inning against Atlanta only added to that rough outlook. Acuña, meanwhile, is vying for NL MVP. It was a mismatch from the start.

FanSided MLB Insider Robert Murray outlined the Acuña vs. Mookie Betts race just last week. As it turns out, Betts may have had a slight edge -- key word being 'had':

"It comes down to the smallest of margins. But Betts has widened the gap in home runs and OPS. Betts’ defense is superior (he has two defensive runs saved this season; Acuna has zero defensive runs saved this season). And despite Acuna leading the league in stolen bases, he has a 4.9 BsR (baserunning runs above average). That’s only 0.6 higher than his former teammate Freddie Freeman, who has 17 stolen bases on the season."

Acuña will have to hold off a hot August and early September from Betts if he's to secure the award. His consistency in the leadoff spot can only help matters.