Spencer Strider closed out a dominant first half of the season with 11 strikeouts in 6 1/3 scoreless innings as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-1 on Saturday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Sean Murphy belted a three-run homer in a four-run fourth inning, and Atlanta has taken the first two games of the series between the top two teams in the majors.
The Braves have homered in 25 straight games, matching a franchise record. Earlier in the year, Tampa Bay had a home-run streak of 22 consecutive games.
Atlanta has won 12 of 13, while the Rays have dropped seven in a row.
Strider (11-2) limited Tampa Bay to four hits and one walk. In a two-run ninth inning, Ronald Acuna Jr. had an RBI single.
Murphy has homered in three straight games. On Friday, the All-Star catcher’s two-run homer made the difference in a 2-1 win.
Rays rookie Taj Bradley (5-5), who attended high school in Stone Mountain, Ga., grew up a Braves fan. In five innings, the rookie was tagged for four runs on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
The 22-year-old retired the first nine he faced but got into trouble the second time through the order.
In the fourth inning, Acuna, who had his 16-game hit streak snapped on Friday, doubled to open the inning and Ozzie Albies followed with a walk. With one out, Matt Olson lined a sharp RBI single. Murphy’s three-run homer was his 17th of the season.
Bradley has allowed seven home runs in his last four starts.
Tampa Bay got on the board in the eighth inning, scoring an unearned run after reliever A.J. Minter exited with an undisclosed injury. After Ben Heller came on and walked Wander Franco, Luke Raley chopped a grounder to third. Austin Riley threw to first for the out, but Olson made an errant throw to third base, and Franco scored all the way from first.
The Rays wasted a scoring opportunity in the first inning. Yandy Diaz singled and with one out, Raley doubled, putting runners on second and third. But Strider struck out Randy Arozarena and Brandon Lowe to escape the threat.
–Field Level Media
