Chris Sale pitched for five innings, only giving up one run and striking out nine batters. Austin Riley’s two-run triple was the highlight of the game, helping the Atlanta Braves secure a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners in the final match of their three-game series.
Despite losing their previous two games, the Braves, who are leading in the NL East, bounced back strongly. Sale’s solid performance on the mound, combined with the Braves capitalizing on an error by Seattle’s Emerson Hancock, led to four unearned runs.
Atlanta’s manager, Brian Snitker, praised the team’s batting performance, noting that even the outs were impressive. Sale, showing glimpses of his former dominant self, utilized his pitching skills effectively, recording a season-high in strikeouts while allowing just six hits.
The lone run Sale conceded was a result of Jorge Polanco’s blooper in the fifth inning. With this victory, Sale extended his winning streak to three games and maintained an impressive 2.36 ERA over his last three starts.
“I aim to return to my usual form and contribute to the team as much as I can,” Sale expressed. “As starting pitchers, we take pride in pitching deep into games, and that’s what I strive to do.”
Atlanta capitalized on Seattle’s errors in the fourth inning, scoring four runs with two outs. Mitch Haniger’s drop of Orlando Arcia’s popup along the right field line provided the Braves with a crucial opportunity.
Despite retiring Chadwick Tromp, pitcher Emerson Hancock couldn’t prevent Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies from reaching base with consecutive singles, leading to one run. Haniger’s inability to catch Austin Riley’s deep hit extended Atlanta’s lead to 4-0 as he collided with the right field wall. Matt Olson added to the score with a sharp single off reliever Trent Thornton.
“Today, we gave away too many free bases. It’s unlike us to walk batters and commit errors. Against good teams, you need to play error-free, and they capitalized on our mistakes in the fourth inning,” commented Seattle manager Scott Servais.
The Mariners didn’t manage to complete an unexpected sweep of one of the top teams in baseball but finished a nine-game stretch with a 6-3 record against Texas, Arizona, and Atlanta.
In the ninth inning, Seattle had a chance to tie the game when Raisel Iglesias walked Luke Raley and Julio Rodríguez singled. However, Iglesias induced popups from Haniger and Polanco and a groundout from Cal Raleigh to secure his eighth save.
Hancock (3-3) struggled and only lasted 3 2/3 innings, even before the issues in the fourth inning. He walked four batters, including giving up a bases-loaded walk to Marcell Ozuna with two outs in the third inning after being ahead 0-2 in the count.
“I didn’t execute pitches well, especially in the fourth inning. I needed to make some good pitches to get out of that situation,” said Hancock.
