A late rally lifted the Atlanta Braves over the Tampa Bay Rays in a game that stayed scoreless until the eighth. Martin Perez anchored Atlanta with a sharp scoreless outing, and the Braves held off a ninth-inning push.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ATL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | X | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Perez controlled the game from the mound, keeping Tampa Bay off the scoreboard through his appearance and earning game MVP honors. Didier Fuentes followed with scoreless relief, while Raisel Iglesias closed the game and recorded the save.
Austin Riley’s single brought Ozzie Albies home in the eighth, giving Atlanta the lead. Ha-Seong Kim’s single then brought Riley and Mike Yastrzemski across the plate, extending the Braves’ advantage.
Nick Martinez matched Perez through his appearance, but Kevin Kelly was charged with the loss after Atlanta broke through. Victor Mesa Jr. homered in the ninth, yet Tampa Bay could not complete the comeback.
The late rally gave Atlanta a win and kept the Braves atop their division. Tampa Bay’s offense had found life at the finish, but Atlanta’s pitching had already done enough to make the late push stand.
Atlanta Braves defeated Tampa Bay Rays, 3-1.
- Victor Mesa went 1-for-1 with 1 home run, 1 RBI and 1 run scored (batting .247 on the season).
- Cedric Mullins went 0-for-3 (batting .204 on the season).
- Austin Riley went 1-for-3 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored (batting .223 on the season).
- Didier Fuentes allowed 0 runs on 0 hits over 1.0 inning, striking out 1, to earn the win (6-2) (2.31 ERA).
- Raisel Iglesias allowed 1 run on 1 hit over 1.0 inning, striking out 1, and closed it out for the save (32) (2.83 ERA).
- Kevin Kelly allowed 3 runs on 4 hits over 0.1 innings, and took the loss (6-4) (2.51 ERA).
Atlanta Braves improved to 86-61; Tampa Bay Rays fell to 87-59.