Braves Beat Marlins Again
ATLANTA (CBSMiami/AP) - The Atlanta Braves won their fifth straight game, finishing off the Miami Marlins 3-2 on Thursday night.
Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. hit an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning to help his team over Miami.
Freddie Freeman hit a tying homer in the eighth and the Braves sent Miami to its 12th road loss in a row, the longest streak in the majors this year.
The NL East-leading Braves went 15-4 against the Marlins this year.
Adeiny Hechavarría opened the Atlanta ninth with a double and later scored on Acuña's single off Ryne Stanek (0-3).
Freeman's 34th homer, an opposite-field drive to left, came off Stanek, who lost his first decision since being acquired from Tampa Bay.
Mark Melancon (5-2) faced four batters in the ninth to earn the win.
Braves starter Mike Soroka hasn't won a decision in seven straight starts. The 22-year-old All-Star was still hard to solve, allowing a single in the second and another in the sixth before Brian Anderson and Neil Walker singled in the seventh and both scored to make it 2-1 on Starlin Castro's double.
Soroka, tied for the second-best ERA in the majors at 2.41, allowed no walks and struck out five in seven innings.
Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara gave up Hechavarría's RBI single in the second, and allowed three hits overall in seven innings. He held the top four batters in Atlanta's lineup — Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Freeman and Josh Donaldson — to a collective 0 for 12.
Alcantara took a shutout into the eighth inning of his last start against Atlanta on Aug. 10.
NICE GLOVE
Marlins 1B Walker snared Rafael Ortega's liner in the second to double up Hechavarría and prevent a runner from scoring from third.
STREAK LIVES
Miami has allowed a homer in 23 straight games, the fourth-longest streak in major league history and three off the mark shared by Baltimore in 2017, Seattle in 2004 and Houston in 2001.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Marlins: RHP Pablo López (right shoulder strain) allowed two runs and eight hits in six innings during his most recent rehab start with Triple-A New Orleans. Manager Don Mattingly said he could return before the rosters expand in September.
Braves: SS Dansby Swanson (right foot contusion) was 1 for 2 with an RBI through the first four innings of his first rehab game at Single-A Rome on Thursday. ... LF Austin Riley (right knee sprain) ran without pain before the game and will report to Rome on Friday.
UP NEXT
Marlins: RHP Héctor Noesí (0-3, 9.39 ERA) will make his fourth start as Miami opens a three-game home series against Philadelphia.
Braves: RHP Mike Foltynewicz (4-5, 6.09 ERA) will pitch the first game of a three-game series at the New York Mets. Foltynewicz has a 19.96 ERA and opponents are hitting .344 against him with runners in scoring position.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)