The streaking Braves had made winning look so simple lately, maybe they wanted to challenge themselves Saturday by spotting the Diamondbacks three runs.
How else to explain two errors by Gold Glove shortstop Andrelton Simmons in a three-run Arizona first inning?
Well, actually that was the second two-error inning Simmons in a span of 2 ½ weeks. But no worries: The Braves offense – including Simmons – responded by scoring seven runs in the first four innings of a 10-4 win that extended their winning streak to nine games and pushed the Braves to 11 games over .500 for the first time this season.
Aaron Harang (8-6) settled down after the first inning and didn’t face more than four batters over any of the next seven innings on the way to winning his third consecutive start. He was charged with nine hits and four runs (three earned) in eight innings, with one walk (intentional) and one strikeout.
Simmons matched a career high with four RBIs, B.J. Upton had two hits including a first-inning leadoff triple to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games, and Justin Upton had three RBIs including a two-run homer in the sixth inning, the first homer in six games for the suddenly small-ball-proficient Braves.
Rookie catcher Christian Bethancourt had his first multi-hit game with three hits including his first extra-base hit (second-inning double off the wall) and the first four in the Braves’ lineup had two hits apiece. Freddie Freeman had a double and an RBI triple and has a .402 career average against Arizona with 18 extra-base hits and 25 RBIs in 23 games.
Tommy La Stella added two hits and two walks for the Braves, whose winning streak is their longest since a 14-game streak last July and August. They’ll go for their third consecutive series sweep Sunday afternoon in their last home game before the All-Star break.
The Braves have seven-game road trip against the Mets and Cubs before the break.
After the Diamondbacks batted around against him in the first inning, Harang was so efficient with his pitches that he got through seven more, inducing three double plays in that span and facing only three batters in five of his last seven innings. He threw 75 strikes in 111 pitches before reliever rookie Shae Simmons pitched the ninth inning.
When the Diamondbacks scored three runs in a sloppy first inning, it looked like Harang might be poised for his third meltdown start in what’s been an otherwise stellar season for the well-traveled veteran. But Harang stemmed that tide quickly, getting nine outs in nine batters over the next three innings.
The Braves’ offense chipped away at the lead – a run in the first, a run in the third – before swarming Diamondbacks starter Mike Bolsinger for five runs in the fifth on a walk, an error and four hits including Simmons’ two-run double and Freeman’s hustling RBI triple on a groundball down the first-base line to the right field corner.
The Braves built a 7-3 lead after four, and Justin Upton’s two-run homer in the sixth snapped their streak of 47 homerless innings since Freeman hit one in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader sweep at Philadelphia. The Braves didn’t hit a homer in the five games between, but won them all.
Two of three first-inning runs against Harang were earned, but he might’ve limited the damage to only one run in the inning if not for the errors by Simmons, who also had a two-error inning against Philadelphia on June 17. Simmons previously had only one two-error game in his career.
For a postgame write-through version of this story with quotes, please go to MyAJC.com or use this link.
