Field Level Media
Jul 13, 2018
Shortstop Nick Ahmed had two hits, including the go-ahead single in the seventh inning, and the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Atlanta Braves 2-1 at SunTrust Park.
Ahmed drove home Daniel Descalso, who had drawn a one-out walk from Atlanta's Sam Freeman (2-5) and advanced to second on Dan Winkler's wild pitch.
Arizona's 52 wins are the second most in team history before the All-Star break. The Diamondbacks are 9-3 in their last 12 road games. The Braves have lost seven of their last nine games.
Arizona starter Zack Godley (11-6) allowed one run in six innings. He gave up five hits, three of them in the first inning, walked one and struck out seven. He has allowed two or fewer earned runs in seven of his last eight starts and has won six of his last seven decisions.
The vaunted Arizona bullpen collaborated for three scoreless innings. Yoshihisa Hirano, Archie Bradley and Brad Boxberger each pitched one inning to complete the game. Boxberger struck out the side in the ninth and earned his 23rd save.
Atlanta starter Anibal Sanchez did not receive a decision, despite allowing only one run in six innings. The veteran gave up five hits and struck out six. It was his fourth straight start in which he has allowed three or fewer runs. He has a 2.41 ERA in three starts in July.
Atlanta got its first run in the first inning. With two outs, Freddie Freeman singled, advanced to third on a hit by Nick Markakis and scored when Kurt Suzuki singled to right field.
The Diamondbacks evened the score 1-1 in the sixth inning. Alex Avila doubled, moved to third on Godley's sacrifice and scored on Jon Jay's soft single to left. Jay went to third on Paul Goldschmidt's single, but was cut down during a fielder's choice at the plate on a nice grab and throw by first baseman Freeman.
The game drew 42,130, the largest crowd in the two-year history of SunTrust Park.
--Field Level Media