In Milwaukee, the Atlanta Braves ended their seven-game losing streak in an assertive 7-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Chris Sale shined on the mound, achieving a season-best performance by striking out 11 batters while permitting only a single run across seven innings.
This win came with home runs from Matt Olson, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Eli White, helping the Braves avert what could have been their first eight-game losing streak since 2016.
Chris Sale, who now holds a 4-4 record, meticulously surrendered just five hits and two walks during the game. The National League’s reigning Cy Young Award winner has managed to confine opponents to just four runs over his last 33 innings pitched across five starts. When Sale departed the game at the start of the eighth inning following a walk to Brice Turang, Atlanta held a solid 5-1 lead.
Raisel Iglesias stepped in for Sale in the eighth, swiftly securing three outs and bringing his ERA down to 6.48. Dylan Lee handled pitching duties in the ninth inning. This appearance was Iglesias’s first since conceding three runs in a game against Arizona where the Braves shockingly let a 10-4 lead slip away.
The Braves, despite having opportunities to score early in the second and fourth innings, managed to turn things around in the fifth. Matt Olson’s two-run homer, after Acuña Jr. had knotted the game with a home run against pitcher Aaron Civale (1-2), was pivotal.
Adding to the Braves’ scoring efforts, White launched a two-run homer off Grant Anderson in the eighth inning. In the ninth, Marcell Ozuna further extended the lead with a two-run single against Anderson.
Milwaukee’s sole run materialized in the third inning when Joey Ortiz’s leadoff double set up William Contreras to drive him home with a timely two-out single.
Critically, Atlanta’s bullpen, which had been beleaguered during their recent slump, held strong. Iglesias and Lee collectively shut down the Brewers, retiring six consecutive batters and combining for four strikeouts.
A notable milestone during the game was Ozzie Albies achieving his 1,000th career hit with a line-drive single to left field in the eighth inning.
Looking ahead, the two teams will face off again on Tuesday in the second game of the series. Atlanta will start Grant Holmes (3-4, 3.99 ERA), while Milwaukee counters with Quinn Priester (3-2, 3.88 ERA).