CHICAGO – The rain shortened the Braves’ series opener against the White Sox in Chicago, but not before Atlanta put together an afternoon of great work.
The Braves beat the White Sox, 9-0, in a game that was officially called after eight innings because of rain.
The teams sat through a 44-minute rain delay in the top of the eighth. When play resumed, Austin Riley, the first batter up, mashed a three-run bomb. The teams completed the bottom of the eighth before the tarp went back on the field.
The rain began falling around 3 p.m. local time. It intensified over the next half hour, which forced the umpires to call a rain delay in the eighth inning. The tarp went onto the field and the teams went into their respective clubhouses. There was a short window to play, which allowed the clubs to finish the eighth inning, but then rain began falling hard.
Charlie Morton tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He allowed three hits. He struck out six batters and walked two.
Meanwhile, his offense provided him with plenty of run support. The Braves scored in four consecutive innings as they built a nice cushion before the rain came.
In the top of the third, the game’s first run scored when Ronald Acuña Jr. grounded into a force out. In the fourth, Orlando Arcia drove in two runs with a double.
The Braves scored a run on a wild pitch in the fifth inning. In the sixth, they plated a sixth run when Ozzie Albies doubled.
Over their first four games, the Braves have averaged almost nine runs per contest. They are 3-1 after winning the series opener over the White Sox.
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