The Atlanta Braves extended their winning streak to three straight games with a 6-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday night.
The Braves got right to work in the first as Jorge Soler led off the game by reaching on an error by Josh VanMeter at third. Soler was erased on a ground ball by Freddie Freeman but Freeman beat the relay throw at first. After an Ozzie Albies fly out, Austin Riley stepped to the plate and drove a 1-2 pitch out to left for his 30th home run of the season to give Atlanta a 2-0 lead.
Jesse Chavez got the start as the opener for Atlanta. He allowed a couple of walks in the first but got VanMeter to fly out to left to leave both runners stranded. Chavez retired Carson Kelly on another fly out to begin the second and was then replaced by Drew Smyly who needed just seven pitches to get the next two outs.
The Braves added to their lead in the third. Freeman singled with one out and then came around to score on Ozzie Albies’ 29th homer of the season to push the advantage to 4-0.
Arizona got a run back in the home half of the third. Daulton Varsho singled with one out and then advanced all the way to third on a hit by Ketel Marte. Varsho then came home to score on a ground out by Pavin Smith to make it 4-1.
Atlanta got that run back in the fifth when Soler drove a solo shot out to right to make it 5-1.
Smyly allowed a lead off single in the fifth to Ildemaro Vargas. A bunt by Luke Weaver moved him into scoring position. Smyly then got Varsho to fly out for the second out. Brian Snitker would then go to his bullpen again and call for Jacob Webb who got Marte to ground out on the first pitch he saw to end the inning.
Smyly would exit having allowed four hits and one run over 3 1/3 innings. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.
Jacob Webb allowed a two-out single to VanMeter but struck out Kelly to leave him stranded in a scoreless sixth. Since the start of May, Webb has allowed three earned runs in 23 2/3 innings. After Tyler Matzek worked a scoreless seventh, Luke Jackson entered and things got dicey. Marte led off the inning with a single. Jackson then struck out Pavin Smith and then got David Peralta on a ground out. Jackson then issued back-to-back walks to VanMeter and pinch hitter Kole Calhoun to load the bases. However, Jackson came back and got Jake McCarthy to fly out harmlessly to Adam Duvall in center to strand the runners.
The Braves added an insurance run in the ninth as Travis d’Arnaud doubled and then came in to score on a single by Dansby Swanson to make it 6-1.
A.J. Minter allowed a lead off double to Vargas to begin the ninth but sat down the next three hitters in order to close things out.
With the win, Atlanta improves to 79-70 on the season. They maintain their three-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies and reduce their magic number to clinch the NL East to 10. They will try to secure a series win Wednesday night with Ian Anderson squaring off against Merrill Kelly.
