ATLANTA — First place in the National League East still belongs to the Braves. The weekend at Truist Park does not.
According to the Associated Press recap on ESPN, the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Atlanta Braves 10-3 on Saturday, Aug. 15, behind two home runs and four RBI from Nolan Arenado and six innings from left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez.
How Arizona won
Arenado reached 20 home runs for the ninth time in his career, the AP account says. He drove in Arizona’s first run with a groundout in the second, hit a two-run homer in the third that made it 6-2, and added a solo shot in the seventh.
Ildemaro Vargas capped the night with a three-run homer in the ninth. Gabriel Moreno went 3-for-4, scored three times, drove in a run, and extended his hitting streak to nine games. Corbin Carroll doubled, tripled, and scored. Tim Tawa was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Line score from ESPN’s game package: Arizona 10 runs, 13 hits; Atlanta 3 runs, 6 hits.
Pitching
Rodriguez improved to 12-4. He allowed a leadoff home run to Ronald Acuña Jr. and a second first-inning run, then settled in for six innings, two runs, five hits, five strikeouts, and zero walks, per the recap. ESPN notes Arizona has not walked a batter through the first two games of the series.
Braves right-hander Grant Holmes fell to 7-5. He entered with 13 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings and a seven-start winning streak as a starter, the AP says, but lasted only 3 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on six hits with three walks.
Atlanta’s early lead did not hold
Atlanta scored twice in the first — Acuña’s leadoff homer and an RBI groundout from Michael Harris II that scored Drake Baldwin — before Arizona answered with three in the second and three more in the third, per ESPN’s scoring summary.
After the loss, the same ESPN package listed Atlanta at 73-50, still alone atop the NL East on a two-game skid, with Arizona at 66-58. Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte sat out with left knee soreness.
What’s next
The series finale is Sunday at Truist Park: Atlanta’s Bryce Elder (8-7, 4.03) against Arizona’s Michael Soroka (8-3, 2.92), per the recap’s “up next” notes.
Primary sources: ESPN game recap (AP); ESPN box score / scoring summary.