Matt Olson's 3-run homer in the 10th inning lifts the Braves past the Orioles 7-6
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9:31 PM on Friday, July 24
By PATRICK STEVENS
BALTIMORE (AP) — Matt Olson hit his 27th home run as part of a four-run 10th inning, and the Atlanta Braves defeated the Baltimore Orioles 7-6 on Friday night.
Drake Baldwin homered for NL East-leading Atlanta, which has won five of six.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand homered and drove in four for Baltimore, which lost for the third time in four games.
The Braves’ Joey Bart led off the 10th with a bloop single to right off Andrew Kittredge (1-2), advancing automatic runner Brewer Hicklen to third. Baltimore second baseman Jackson Holliday tried to turn a double play on Jim Jarvis’ sharp grounder, but his throw sailed into left field, allowing Hicklen to score.
After Kittredge struck out the next two Braves, Olson launched a three-run homer to right-center.
Elieser Hernández (1-0) pitched three shutout innings in his debut with the Braves. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth by coaxing Taylor Ward’s two-out groundout.
Baltimore rallied against Dylan Lee with pinch-hitter Jeremiah Jackson’s sacrifice fly and Encarnacion-Strand’s two-run homer, before Sam Huff struck out to end the game.
Encarnacion-Strand’s two-out double rattled around the left field corner in the second, driving in two runs and opening the scoring.
Atlanta tied it in the fourth on Mauricio Dubón’s sacrifice fly and Austin Riley’s RBI single to center. Baltimore moved ahead on Holliday’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning.
The Braves tied it in the eighth on Baldwin’s 20th home run of the season, a solo shot to right-center off Rico Garcia.
Baltimore starter Trevor Rogers allowed two runs and struck out six in seven innings. The left-hander has a 1.80 ERA in nine outings since June 4, dropping his season ERA from 6.84 to 4.17 in the process.
Atlanta right-hander Grant Holmes allowed three runs and struck out five in five innings.
Atlanta RHP Bryce Elder (6-6, 4.06 ERA) faces Baltimore RHP Brandon Young (8-2, 3.25) as the series continues Saturday.
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