Braves snap skid with 3-1 win over Giants
SAN FRANCISCO — It wasn’t the easiest way to go about getting a win, but the Braves will take ‘em however they can get ‘em these days.
Starting pitcher Hurston Waldrep made his 2026 debut by throwing two-plus innings of scoreless relief, and Ozzie Albies drove in a pair of runs as the Braves beat the Giants 3-1 at Oracle Park on Friday to halt a four-game losing streak.
“We needed a win. It’s been tough sledding here lately,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “We had a great series against the Brewers at home, but before that and after that, it hadn’t been good. So it’s good to start this series with a win.”
Waldrep was one of six pitchers the Braves turned to for their first win since Saturday. The right-hander pitched a scoreless fifth and sixth before leaving after facing two batters in the seventh.
He three 55 pitches and walked four while striking out three.
“Overall I think we take it as a positive. Two (innings) and zero (runs), that’s that’s how you win ball games. Don’t give up any runs. Ideally we eat another inning or two there for the bullpen and save some innings, but you know you have to really tip your cap to ‘D-Lee’, Fuentes and ‘Iggy coming out there, finishing the game. I thought it was awesome.”
Dylan Lee (4-0) inherited two runners in the seventh but escaped that jam and then got the first two outs of the eighth before a Willy Adames double to deep center. Didier Fuentes came in and struck out Matt Chapman on three pitches.
Closer Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth for his 16th save in 16 chances this season.
Earlier, in the fifth inning, Waldrep struck out Chapman to begin his 2026 season, then allowed a single to right by Drew Cavanaugh — the first hit of Cavanaugh’s MLB career. Waldrep then issued back-to-back walks to load the bases before getting Bryce Eldridge to chase a slider down and in, and Casey Schmitt to hit a ground ball to short for an inning-ending fielder’s choice.
The sixth inning was much smoother for Waldrep, who worked around a two-out walk to strike out Chapman on a splitter in the dirt.
But in the seventh, Waldrep was pulled after a walk to Cavanaugh and a swinging-bunt single to third by Victor Bericoto. Lee was summoned, and after Luis Arraez’s sacrifice bunt, Eldridge popped to second and Schmitt flew out to right.
The Giants (33-48) couldn’t put together a serious offensive rally from there and left nine men on base in the loss.
“Dylan Lee was awesome tonight. First and second, nobody out (in the seventh), and makes a great play on that Arraez bunt. That was a really difficult play. And then just cruises after that,” Weiss said. “I planned on giving him two hitters that inning and he got him out so quick that we let him face Adames and he hit that double. ‘Dee Dee’ he threw the ball really well, Iggy, yeah, it was a good job by our bullpen.”
Braves starter Reynaldo López gave up a first-inning run on Rafael Devers’ two-out RBI double that split the gap in deep right field. Dominic Smith, a member of the Giants in 2025, got that run back with a one-out RBI single in the top of the second off Giants starter Trevor McDonald.
Albies gave the Braves the lead in the third with a two-out RBI single lobbed into shallow center.
Albies plated another run in the fifth with an RBI sacrifice fly to center that scored Mauricio Dubón, who had reached on an infield single and went to third on Matt Olson’s double. The Braves (49-31) held onto the lead from there.
López threw 57 pitches and allowed just the one run on four hits through three innings. Dylan Dodd followed López and recorded a 1-2-3 fourth to bridge the game to Waldrep.
McDonald (2-6) went 5 1/3 innings, walked one, struck out three and gave up three earned runs on seven hits. He was lifted after his 90th pitch, a sinker on the outside black, and struck out Austin Riley looking.