The visiting Atlanta Braves scored in four consecutive innings to snap the Arizona Diamondbacks’ six-game winning streak with a 5-2 victory in Phoenix on Saturday night.
Braves right-hander Spencer Strider, who leads the majors in strikeouts, added another seven to his total, while Ronald Acuna Jr. paced Atlanta’s offense by going 2-for-5 with a homer and a double.
Strider (6-2), who now has 113 strikeouts in 12 starts, worked six-plus innings, allowing three hits, two runs and four walks. His ERA stands at 2.97 after a 99-pitch performance that helped prevent Arizona from taking sole possession of first place in the National League West.
Braves catcher Sean Murphy and Diamondbacks first baseman Emmanuel Rivera traded leadoff doubles in the second inning but neither scored.
A spectacular catch by Arizona center fielder Corbin Carroll robbed Michael Harris II of a leadoff hit in the third, but the Diamondbacks couldn’t keep Atlanta off the board.
Acuna laced a double and collected his NL-leading 24th steal as Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson (2-3) and third baseman Josh Rojas failed to react in time when Acuna bolted for third base. Austin Riley’s sacrifice fly knocked in Acuna to open the scoring.
Atlanta added to its lead in the fourth when Eddie Rosario — who homered twice on Friday night and is 5-for-8 in the series — tripled to center and scored on Marcell Ozuna’s single to left.
Rosario struck again in the fifth, grounding a two-out, two-strike single to right to extend the Braves’ advantage to 3-0, ending the night for Nelson.
Diamondbacks designated hitter Evan Longoria hit a 3-2 fastball over the left field fence leading off the Arizona fifth, just the second hit allowed by Strider.
Arizona struck again in the seventh inning.
Following a Rivera single that knocked Strider out of the game, veteran right-hander Jesse Chavez struck out Longoria, allowed a single to Rojas, issued a walk to Gabriel Moreno and then hit Geraldo Perdomo to bring home the Diamondbacks’ second run.
Chavez was able to escape without further damage, striking out Pavin Smith and Ketel Marte.
Nick Anderson pitched a scoreless eighth, and Braves closer Raisel Iglesias picked up his sixth save with a scoreless ninth.
–Field Level Media
