AP
PHOENIX (AP) Chris Sale outdueled Zac Gallen with 5 1/3 solid innings, Adam Duvall hit a three-run homer and the Atlanta Braves beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-2 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight win.
Duvall connected for his three-run shot in the sixth, extending Atlanta’s lead to 5-0. The 441-foot homer was launched deep into the left field seats, ending Gallen’s night in frustration.
“We’re getting some timely hits,” Duvall said. “Tonight, we had runners on a lot. So we were defintely putting some pressure on and hopefully we can continue to do that.”
It was a good moment in a tough season for Duvall, who came into the game hitting just .184 with seven homers.
Sale (12-3) labored through his first inning, walking Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno to load the bases with two outs. But he coaxed a groundout from Jake McCarthy to end the threat.
The next four innings were considerably easier before the lefty ran into trouble in the sixth, giving up a single by Moreno before McCarthy’s RBI triple. Sale – who leads MLB with 12 wins – gave up two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out nine.
“Tonight was a grind,” Sale said. “Once I got out of that first inning I was like, all right, let’s take a deep breath, refocus and get back to it.”
The 35-year-old has bounced back from several injury-riddled seasons to be one of the best pitchers in the big leagues this year. He’ll represent the Braves on the NL All-Star team next week.
Sale is expected to pitch for Atlanta again on Sunday, which means he almost certainly won’t be available to pitch in the All-Star game two days later on July 16. Considering this is his eighth All-Star appearance, Sale said that wasn’t a problem.
“The most important thing is this team and winning games for this team,” Sale said. “We’ve got our eyes on the prize and that’s the most important thing.”
Gallen (6-5) gave up five runs, including four earned, over 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander gave up seven hits and a walk while striking out four.
“The gears were grinding the entire day,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “I felt like Zac had really good stuff, but he got clipped for a couple runs and extended that pitch count.”
The Braves took a 2-0 lead in the second. Sean Murphy’s RBI groundout brought home Marcell Ozuna for the first run and then Atlanta took advantage of a defensive miscue when All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte dropped a line drive from Orlando Arcia that allowed Eddie Rosario to score.
Eli White had a pinch-hit, RBI triple in the seventh that gave Atlanta a 6-2 lead. Duvall, Ozuna and Jarred Kelenic all had two hits. Jesse Chavez threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.
“What Jesse did, coming in and doing multiple (innings) like that, that’s how we win.” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Braves: Activated RHP AJ Smith-Shawver and optioned RHP Bryce Elder to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Diamondbacks: LHP Jordan Montgomery (knee), LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (oblique) and RHP Merrill Kelly (shoulder) all threw a bullpen on Tuesday. Manager Torey Lovullo said Montgomery is likely closest to returning to the active roster.
UP NEXT
The Braves will start RHP Charlie Morton (5-5, 3.96 ERA) on Wednesday. The D-backs will counter with RHP Slade Cecconi (2-6, 6.10 ERA).
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves51-39 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 0 |
| Diamondbacks45-47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
- Chase FieldPhoenix, AZ
- W: C. Sale (12-3)L: Z. Gallen (6-5)S: (0)
- HR: ATL – A. Duvall (8)
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
| HITTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Kelenic CF | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .273 |
| O. Albies 2B | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .260 |
| A. Riley 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .253 |
| M. Olson 1B | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .239 |
| M. Ozuna DH | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .293 |
| A. Duvall RF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | .191 |
| E. Rosario LF | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .180 |
| a- E. White PH-LF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .231 |
| S. Murphy C | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .228 |
| O. Arcia SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .208 |
- a-tripled for Rosario in the 8th
| HITTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K. Marte 2B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .281 |
| R. Grichuk LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .279 |
| L. Gurriel DH | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .269 |
| C. Walker 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .265 |
| G. Moreno C | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .251 |
| J. McCarthy RF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .278 |
| E. Suarez 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .205 |
| A. Thomas CF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .189 |
| K. Newman SS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .286 |
BATTING
- 2B – M. Olson (21), M. Ozuna (20)
- 3B – E. White
- HR – A. Duvall (8)
- RBI – A. Duvall 3 (25), E. White (2), S. Murphy (12)
- Runners left in scoring position, 2-Out – J. Kelenic, O. Albies, M. Olson, M. Ozuna
BATTING
- 2B – C. Walker (19), K. Newman (12)
- 3B – J. McCarthy (3)
- RBI – J. McCarthy (21), E. Suarez (40)
- Runners left in scoring position, 2-Out – K. Marte, J. McCarthy 3 (3)
BASERUNNING
- SB – O. Albies (7)
FIELDING
- DP – (Albies-Arcia-Olson)
FIELDING
- DP – (Newman-Marte-Walker)
- E – K. Marte (4)
| PITCHERS | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z. Gallen(L, 6-5) | 5.1 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3.33 |
| T. Vieira | 2.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5.71 |
| J. Mantiply | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4.46 |
| H. Castellanos | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7.50 |
PITCHING
- Pitches-Strikes – C. Sale 100-67, J. Chavez 28-20, A. Minter 3-3
- Ground Balls-Fly Balls – C. Sale 5-1, J. Chavez 3-2, A. Minter 3-0
- Batters Faced – C. Sale 24, J. Chavez 8, A. Minter 3
PITCHING
- Pitches-Strikes – Z. Gallen 105-65, T. Vieira 34-27, J. Mantiply 11-9, H. Castellanos 24-13
- Ground Balls-Fly Balls – Z. Gallen 9-3, T. Vieira 5-0, J. Mantiply 0-2, H. Castellanos 0-1
- Batters Faced – Z. Gallen 24, T. Vieira 9, J. Mantiply 4, H. Castellanos 4