PHOENIX — Instead of cruising to another win and completing a four-game sweep, the Braves were left wondering how everything seemed to go wrong so quickly in the 6-4 loss to the D-backs on Thursday afternoon at Chase Field.
Carson Kelly hit a three-run homer off Jacob Webb and Daulton Varsho tallied an RBI double in the five-run seventh inning that allowed the D-backs to end this series with a comeback win. The Braves bid adieu to a four-game winning streak and a chance to strengthen their NL East lead with 11 games remaining.
Leading 4-1, the Braves sent Charlie Morton back to the mound to begin the seventh inning. The veteran had allowed just three hits and totaled 91 pitches through the first six innings. But he immediately encountered trouble when Josh VanMeter and Ildemaro Vargas began the seventh with consecutive singles.
This prompted the entry of Webb, who hadn’t allowed an earned run over 16 1/3 innings dating back to May 21. The young right-hander had earned the chance to pitch in more high-leverage situations while allowing just three hits and one unearned run over 10 1/3 innings in September.
But Kelly halted this dominant stretch when he drilled a middle-middle 82 mph changeup over the left-field wall. The game-tying three-run homer served as the start of the struggles for Webb, who also surrendered a double to Kole Calhoun and Varsho’s RBI two-bagger.
Austin Riley’s two-run homer highlighted the Braves’ three-run third against Madison Bumgarner. Dansby Swanson’s sacrifice fly in the sixth gave Atlanta what seemed to be a comfortable three-run lead.
