Eugenio Suarez homered for the second straight night and Brandon Pfaadt tossed six strong innings to help the Arizona Diamondbacks post a 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night in Phoenix.
Jake McCarthy robbed Matt Olson of a tying homer in the ninth as Arizona earned a split of the four-game series. Pfaadt (4-6) gave up three hits and struck out four without issuing a walk.
Kevin Ginkel, Ryan Thompson and Paul Sewald each worked a scoreless inning to complete the five-hitter.
Sewald needed McCarthy’s defensive gem to notch his second save in two nights and 13th of the season after blowing three consecutive save opportunities.
With one out in the ninth, Olson went the opposite way with a long drive to left. McCarthy got back to the wall and leaped to catch the ball and deny Olson of a clutch homer.
Marcell Ozuna followed with a single to left before Sewald got Adam Duvall to bounce out to third to end it.
Ozuna and Austin Riley had two hits apiece for the Braves, who lost their second straight game following a four-game winning streak.
Atlanta’s Max Fried (7-5) allowed one run and five hits over six innings. He struck out seven and walked three.
Ketel Marte had two of Arizona’s six hits.
Suarez led off the bottom of the fifth by slamming a full-count changeup from Fried over the wall in center to break up a scoreless game. The 437-foot blast was his ninth of the season.
The Diamondbacks loaded the bases later in the inning before Fried got out of the jam by striking out Randal Grichuk.
Pfaadt induced a double-play grounder from Jarred Kelenic during a scoreless sixth that completed his night.
Ginkel entered in the seventh and gave up a leadoff double to Riley. But Ginkel retired Olson, Ozuna and Duvall in succession to stymie the Braves.
Thompson walked Travis d’Arnaud and Kelenic with two outs in the eighth before getting Ozzie Albies to bounce out to first to end the threat.
The solid pitching matchup between Pfaadt and Fried was much different than when the pair clashed on April 6 in Atlanta’s 9-8 victory.
Fried allowed a season-worst eight runs (seven earned) plus 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings that time, while Pfaadt gave up five runs and eight hits over 5 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
