The Atlanta Braves continued their winning streak, notching their sixth consecutive victory with a solid 5-2 triumph over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night. Charlie Morton led the charge on the mound, teaming up with three relievers to stifle the Rangers’ offense, holding them to just five hits.
Travis d’Arnaud, who had been instrumental in Friday’s 8-3 win with a trio of home runs, kept his hot streak alive by launching a two-run homer off Austin Pruitt in the eighth inning.
The Braves, currently atop the NL East, have now taken the first two games of the series against the AL West-leading Rangers, thanks to standout performances from Morton and Chris Sale.
“They really set the tone for this homestand,” d’Arnaud remarked about the starting pitchers. “Two guys who embody the spirit of taking charge in crucial moments, facing off against the previous World Series champions. Their readiness was evident both today and yesterday.”
Morton (2-0) delivered a stellar performance, conceding only two runs and four hits across six innings. Joe Jiménez, A.J. Minter, and Raisel Iglesias then combined to shut down the Rangers’ offense for the remainder of the game, with Iglesias securing his sixth save in as many opportunities with a flawless ninth inning.
The Braves seized control early with Luis Guillorme’s RBI double and Matt Olson’s sacrifice fly in the second inning, breaking a 2-2 deadlock.
Meanwhile, Nathan Eovaldi (1-2) struggled on the mound for the Rangers, surrendering three runs and five hits along with six walks in 5 1/3 innings. He expressed disappointment over his inability to hold onto the early 2-0 lead against Morton. “We had the lead, and you can’t give a guy like that another opportunity,” Eovaldi lamented.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy teased a surprise from the bullpen before the game, which turned out to be right-hander Jon Gray, who had primarily started games this season. Gray entered in relief of Eovaldi in the sixth inning, racking up two strikeouts to leave two runners stranded. He then added two more strikeouts in a perfect seventh inning.
Ronald Acuña Jr. made his mark early in the game with an infield single and later completed a double steal with Michael Harris II, tying Rafael Furcal for the Atlanta record with 189 career steals.
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