PHOENIX (AP) — Austin Riley hit a three-run homer, William Contreras had three hits — including two of Atlanta’s five doubles — and Kyle Wright threw six scoreless innings in the Braves’ 6-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Riley’s homer broke open a close game in the seventh for the Braves, who salvaged the final game and avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season. Adam Duvall, Michael Harris II and Guillermo Heredia also doubled for Atlanta.
Wright (5-3) received more than three runs of support for the first time this season while giving up three hits and five walks with five strikeouts in his seventh quality start. The Braves had scored 16 runs when he was in the game in his previous nine starts.
Riley’s homer, his 13th, gave Atlanta a 5-0 lead in its third combined shutout of the season. Arizona has been shut out five times.
Atlanta's five doubles — all with an exit velocity of at least 105 mph — came in the first four innings off Madison Bumgarner (2-4), who had won his last eight decisions against the Braves.
Ketel Marte singled and walked twice while extending his career-long hitting streak to 14 games for the Diamondbacks, who did not have a hit in the last five innings and got only three runners as far as second base.
Contreras drove in Dansby Swanson with his first doubles in the first inning, and Harris II doubled in Duvall in the second for a 2-0 lead. Bumgarner gave up seven hits and two walks and struck out six.
SLOW START
Defending World Series champion Atlanta is (24-27) is 10 1/2 games behind the the NL East-leading New York Mets (35-17), the furthest it has been out of first place since finishing the 2017 season 25 games behind Washington.
Atlanta was eight games out of first place and five games under .500 last June 16, its lowest points before rebounding in 2021. Atlanta is 7-6 during a stretch in which it will play 29 consecutive games against teams with a losing record.
DOUBLING DOWN
Matt Olson had his doubles streak broken Wednesday after hitting five in the previous three games, but he still leads the major leagues with 23 doubles this season and is on pace for 73.
Boston outfielder Earl Webb holds the major-league record, 67, set in 1931. Only six players have hit 60 doubles in a season, the last when Hall of Famers Joe Medwick and Charlie Gehringer did it in 1936. The Braves’ franchise record is 51, by Hall of Famer Hugh Duffy in 1984.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Braves: OF Ronald Acuña Jr. was held out of the starting lineup Wednesday as Atlanta prepares to begin a four-game series at high-altitude, big-outfield Colorado on Thursday. … LHP Tyler Matzek (shoulder inflammation) was eligible to return from the injured list Wednesday but has not begun a throwing program.
Diamondbacks: RHP Humberto Castellanos (strained right elbow) was placed on the injured list Wednesday and LHP Paul Fry was recalled from Triple-A Reno in the corresponding move. Reliever Fry was acquired from Baltimore on May 18. Castellanos started Tuesday gave up five runs in 4 2/3 innings of a no-decision.
UP NEXT
Braves: RHP Ian Anderson (3-3, 4.34 ERA) is scheduled to face Colorado LHP Austin Gomber (2-5, 5.51) on Thursday in the first game of a four-game series at Coors Field.
Diamondbacks: RHP Merrill Kelly (3-3, 3.67) is to oppose Pirates RHP JT Brubaker (0-4, 4.15) in Pittsburgh on Thursday, the first game of Arizona’s season-long 10-game road trip.
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