Marcell Ozuna blasted his National League-leading 19th home run to highlight a five-run first inning that sent the Atlanta Braves to a 7-3 win over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.
Ozuna’s three-run shot to the opposite field landed well into the stands in right field. It gave him 60 RBIs, also tops in the NL.
The Braves’ Austin Riley ended a 5-for-34 (.147) slump by going 3-for-4 with homer and a double.
Atlanta starter Chris Sale (9-2) pitched seven innings and allowed two runs on five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. Both walks were followed by inning-ending double plays. Sale now has 206 career strikeouts against the Rays, second most against the Tampa Bay franchise.
Raisel Iglesias entered the ninth inning with two runners on base and got Yandy Diaz on a grounder for the final out, earning his 18th save.
Tampa Bay starter Zack Littell (2-5) had his worst outing of the season. He pitched two innings and allowed a season-high seven runs, six earned, on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
The Rays scored a run in the first inning on Amed Rosario’s RBI double.
The Braves responded with five runs in the bottom of the first. After Ozuna’s home run, Matt Olson and Riley hit back-to-back doubles for a 4-1 edge. Riley scored when Littell fielded Adam Duvall’s comebacker and airmailed the throw to first base for an error.
Riley added a two-run homer in the second inning to expand the lead to 7-1. It was Riley’s fourth home run and first since May 3.
Tampa Bay cut the deficit to 7-2 in the seventh inning on a two-out, run-scoring double by Richie Palacios.
The Rays scored a run in the ninth off Dylan Lee. Jose Siri doubled and scored on a two-out single by Palacios, two batters after Atlanta left fielder Jarred Kelenic took a homer away from Jonny DeLuca.
Atlanta center fielder Michael Harris II was injured in the first inning while going from first to third. He was removed due to left hamstring tightness.
–Field Level Media