News agency3 minutes to read
Craig Kimbrell hits 400 hits in victory over the Braves
Craig Kimbrel becomes only the eighth pitcher in MLB history to reach 400 balls in a win over the Braves.
ATLANTA — Craig Kimbrell becomes the eighth player in major league history to record 400 saves, Brandon Marsh hits the go-ahead, hits two in the sixth inning, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 6-4 Friday night.
In his 730th career appearance, Kimbrell, 34, worked up a scoreless ninth to grab his sixth save in six chances this season. Of the seven tacklers to reach 400 saves, only Mariano Rivera (697 games), Trevor Hoffman (706), and Kenley Jansen (778) have reached the threshold in fewer than 800 games.
Kimbrel, 2011 NL Rookie of the Year, played his first five seasons in Atlanta, was four times with the Braves and still holds the franchise record with 186 saves. This is his first season with Philadelphia. Over his past 14 games since April 16, Kimbrel has faced 50 batters and has 26 strikeouts in 13 innings pitched, but started the game with a 6.00 ERA.
Facing reliever Joe Jimenez (0-1) with the bases loaded in the sixth, Marsh made it 4-3 with a single to left which Nick Castellanos and JT Realmoto scored. The Phillies scored twice in the seventh off Lucas Lugg on a Trea Turner double and a Bryce Harper sacrifice fly.
The Braves took a 3-2 lead in the fifth when Michael Harris II broke 1-for-28 with a two-run homer. Beginning with a batting of . 165, Harris drove an 88-mph break from rookie Taijuan Walker (4-2) for an opposite field shot to left. It was the second home run by Harris, the best rookie of last season in the Premier League.
The NL-leading Braves fell to 31-20. Philadelphia, which finished fourth in the NL East after advancing to the World Series last year, is 24-27. The Phillies are seven games behind Atlanta in the division standings.
After failing to capitalize in the first two innings with a runner in scoring position, the Phillies took a 2–0 lead in the third when Bryson Stott and Turner walked and Castellanos tripled off the wall at right center.
Atlanta trimmed the lead to 2-1 in the fourth. Travis d’Arnaud doubled, advanced to third on Marcel Ozuna’s single and scored on Eddie Rosario’s sacrifice fly.
Walker gave out 10 hits and three runs in 6.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px;white-space:nowrap} ⁄ innings. He started 1-2 with a 5.14 ERA in seven games against Atlanta.
Jared Shuster, the Braves’ MVP according to MLB.com, allowed three hits and three runs in 5.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px;white-space:nowrap} ⁄ innings pitched. It was his fifth career start.