ATLANTA – Kyle Wright was in command early in counts Saturday, and it made all the difference for the Atlanta Braves starter.
Wright threw a first-pitch strike to 26 of the 28 batters he faced against the Washington Nationals, a 92.8% rate that is the highest by any MLB pitcher in a start this season.
“Any time you get strike one, that’s the best pitch in baseball,” the 26-year-old right-hander said. “From there you don’t have to be as fine and can be aggressive with some stuff. To get that many – I think that’s definitely why I had a good day today.”
Atlanta third baseman Austin Riley started the scoring by hitting his 22nd home run of the season, and Wright pitched seven-plus innings to earn his 10th win of the year as the Braves held on to beat the Nationals 4-3 and secure their fourth straight series triumph.
The reigning World Series champions moved a season-high 16 games over .500 at 51-35 and improved to 28-8 since June 1, best in the National League over that span. Atlanta is the four-time reigning champ in the NL East but is currently second in the division, 2 1/2 games behind the New York Mets – who held their ground in the standings with a 10-inning home win against the Miami Marlins shortly after the Braves beat Washington.