Atlanta Braves
Arguably the best pitcher in the first half of the season for the Braves was Mike Foltynewicz. He started Saturday night looking to allow less than two earned runs for the thirteenth time this season.
Although it never came easy for Folty. He allowed runners in every inning, usually in multiples, but he used his fantastic stuff each inning to get out of jams with runners in scoring position. After allowing the Diamondbacks to score in the first inning, he would keep them quiet until the sixth inning.
Meanwhile Brandon Phillips was giving the Braves all the boost they needed to stay ahead of the D-Backs. He tied the game up in the third with a monster solo shot then put the team in the lead with an RBI double his next at bat. Arizona would finally break through on Folty in the sixth, forcing him out of the game after 5.1 innings and three earned runs.
But leads for the Diamondbacks have been temporary in this series. In the bottom half of the sixth, Atlanta would load the bases and send Lane Adams to the plate with two outs. The lesser of the two Adams would come up with the biggest hit of game, as he laced one down the left field line for a bases clearing double. The Braves would add one more on an Inciarte infield hit to give them a 7-3 lead.
Arizona would try and climb back in it, adding two runs off Sam Freeman in the 7th, but that would be as close as they would get. The Braves would hang on and win by a score of 8-5.
Atlanta will go out tomorrow afternoon looking to sweep Arizona and keep cutting into that Wild Card lead. They now trail the Diamondbacks by just eight games for the number one spot and the Rockies by six games for the number two spot. That might still seem like quite a jump, but given where this team was just a month ago, it seems entirely possible that the Braves could catch one of them.
Atlanta will send out Jaime Garcia, who will be looking to break out of his slump of late, to face Zack Godley of the Diamondbacks in the series finale.