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.
“We had a rough first inning but nobody panicked,” Harang said. “Our confidence if real high right now. Everybody’s feeling good about how we’re swinging the bat and playing defense. So I knew that guys were comfortable up there and I knew that we were going to stay right in it.”
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.
“It’s coming together,” said B.J. Upton, who had his second consecutive two-hit game, after getting one hit in each of his first nine games in the leadoff spot. “That’s about all you can say about it. It’s starting to roll a little bit. Hopefully we can keep it up.”
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.
“I’m just glad we got the win, man,” said Simmons, whose eventful day also included a tumble while trying to avoid a tag in the sixth inning, which left him with a sort left ankle and buttocks but didn’t force him to leave the game. “It’s a little tough when your errors are a little costly. But Harang picked me up and kept us in the game and the other guys got on base, we got runs and we ended up winning. So it’s a good day after all.”
After the Diamondbacks batted around against him in the 30-piptch first inning, Harang got through the next seven innings in 81 pitches, inducing three double plays and facing only three batters in five of his last seven innings.
“He’s been around a long time and knows how to pitch,” B.J. Upton said. “He didn’t flustered. Gathered himself and came back and pitched a great game.”
Harang threw 75 strikes in 111 pitches before reliever rookie Shae Simmons pitched the ninth inning.
“You start to learn to trust him a little bit,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said of Harang. “I started to take him out there (after) the seventh inning and he goes, ‘No, I’m fine, I’ve got another 10 or 12 pitches. Give me a chance to go hitter by hitter.’ And we did that.
“We turned a double play in the eighth to get out of that situation. He’s a nice piece on our staff right now.”
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 he 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 (1-5) for five runs in the fifth on a walk, an error and four hits including Simmons’ two-run double and Freeman’s RBI triple on a grounder 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.
“I started the game with a couple errors,” said Simmons, who made an errant relay throw that allowed Paul Goldschmidt to advance to third on an RBI double, then bobbled the ball making toss to second base to thwart a potetial inning-ending double play. “They got a couple runs early. But (Harang) kept them right there and gave us a chance to come back.”
Harang gave up a leadoff homer to Ender Inciarte in the fifth inning, then got 12 outs in his final 13 batters he faced, including double-play grounders in the sixth and eighth innings.
“I came in after seven and Fredi was ready to shake my hand,” Harang said. “I told him, ‘Man, I’ve got another one.’ So we went hitter by hitter (in the eighth), he said probably three hitters that inning. I was able to get out of that with a double play. I got Tommy (La Stella) and Simba (Simmons) a lot of work today. The guys were there.
“We know they’re going to be out there making the plays for us. We’re feeling really good right now with how the whole game’s going for everybody.”
