Austin Riley hit a go-ahead, three-run home run in the eighth inning as the host Atlanta Braves earned a 7-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday afternoon to salvage the finale of a three-game series.
Matt Olson followed Riley’s blast with a solo shot, finishing with two home runs and three RBIs for the Braves, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
The Diamondbacks built a 4-1 lead in the seventh thanks to Dominic Canzone’s first major league home run, a three-run shot, and Emmanuel Rivera’s solo homer. Olson quickly pulled Atlanta within 4-3 in the bottom half of the inning when he sent a 3-0 fastball from Arizona starter Zac Gallen into the left-center field seats.
After Corbin Carroll hit a solo home run with two outs in the top of the eighth to give the D-backs a two-run lead, Riley hit his homer off Miguel Castro (5-4) to give the Braves a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Kirby Yates (4-0) picked up the win despite surrendering Carroll’s long ball, while Raisel Iglesias worked around a walk and a single in the ninth for his 17th save.
Both starters were stunning through the first two-thirds of the game in what started as a masterclass pitchers’ duel.
Gallen was perfect until Orlando Arcia drilled a solo home run with one out in the sixth to break a scoreless tie. Gallen went seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks.
Atlanta’s Spencer Strider was equally as impressive, matching his season high with 13 strikeouts across six innings. He gave up four runs on four hits while walking one.
Arizona looked poised to open the scoring in the fourth after Ketel Marte led off with a triple. Strider buckled down, though, striking out Carroll, Christian Walker and Canzone to escape the inning unscathed.
Strider struck out the side again in the fifth.
Rivera went 2-for-3 and Carroll scored twice for the Diamondbacks, who have lost five of their last seven games.
–Field Level Media
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