CINCINNATI (AP) — Matt Olson hit two of Atlanta’s six home runs, Chris Sale coasted to his major league-leading 18th win and the Braves beat the Cincinnati Reds 15-3 on Thursday.
The Braves pulled within 1 1/2 games of the Mets for the final NL wild-card spot, with New York playing later Thursday.
Along with his career-best win total, Sale (18-3) also leads the majors in ERA (2.38) and strikeouts (225).
Sale pitched five innings, allowing two runs and five hits with two walks and six strikeouts. It was the 18th consecutive game in which he allowed two runs or fewer.
Olson hit his 27th home run and second of the series leading off the second inning. Ramon Laureano hit a three-run homer in the third inning, his ninth, off rookie Julian Aguiar.
Marcel Ozuna doubled in a run in the fifth after Aguiar hit Michael Harris II and Jorge Soler to lead off the inning. Olson greeted Yosver Zuleta with his second homer of the game. It was his fourth multi-homer game of the season and 25th of his career.
Harris hit the Braves’ sixth home run with two on in the ninth off Brandon Leibrandt.
Soler’s 20th home run with two on also came off Leibrandt, the son of former Braves’ and Reds’ pitcher Charlie Leibrandt. Harris hit his 14th home run and third of the series in the eighth.
Rookie Blake Dunn brought his .095 average to the plate in the third inning. He hit a leadoff single. Dunn stole second and third and scored on Jonathan India’s single. The Reds loaded the bases but Ty France hit into a double play.
Dunn hit his first big league home run leading off the fifth inning. Dunn walked and scored his third run of the game on Elly De La Cruz’s single.
Aguiar (2-1) pitched four-plus innings. He was charged with seven runs on six hits.
UP NEXT
Braves: Travel to Miami to start at three-game series. Charlie Morton (8-8, 4.01 ERA) pitches for the Braves.
Reds: Host Pirates starting Friday. Nick Martinez (9-6, 3.37 ERA) is scheduled to start.
