Chris Sale worked seven strong innings and Mauricio Dubon provided a two-run single to lift the visiting Atlanta Braves to a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.
Sale (4-1) struck out seven and walked only one, giving up just one run and five hits. Austin Riley, Jonah Heim and Ozzie Albies each had two hits as Atlanta won for the eighth time in 10 games.
The Braves will look to complete a three-game sweep Sunday in the finale with the scuffling Phillies, who have dropped eight of 10. Philadelphia ace Cristopher Sanchez (2-2) gave up three unearned runs in six innings, yielding eight hits and a walk with eight strikeouts.
The game began in exciting fashion, as Ronald Acuna Jr. sent a blast to deep center, only to watch Brandon Marsh leap at the wall to rob a home run.
In the second, Philadelphia’s Felix Reyes launched Sale’s 2-0 fastball over the wall in right field for a home run in his first major league at-bat. However, that was the only offensive highlight for the hosts.
Atlanta promptly bounced back with two runs in the third. Sanchez struck out the first two batters of the frame before the next three hitters reached, including Albies on an error by second baseman Edmundo Sosa.
Riley’s infield hit tied the game, then Dubon’s bloop increased the lead to 3-1.
Sale sat down the Phillies with minimal stress in the third, fourth and fifth innings. He then went through the heart of the Philadelphia order in the sixth, getting Kyle Schwarber on a comebacker to the mound, striking out Bryce Harper and inducing a popup by Adolis Garcia.
Sale struck out two more in the seventh before exiting after 101 pitches.
Dylan Lee took care of the eighth for Atlanta before Robert Suarez logged a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save.
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto exited due to lower back tightness. Rafael Marchan replaced Realmuto in the top of the seventh.
