ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves closed a subpar month with dashes of hope on the mound, at the plate and in the win-loss column Friday night.
Reynaldo López set a season high with eight strikeouts, Jarred Kelenic hit a two-run double, and the Braves won 4-2 against the Oakland Athletics, who have lost three straight games.
López (3-2) raised both arms as he walked off the mound after closing the top of the sixth inning with two strikeouts. The 30-year-old right-hander allowed one run on four hits and two walks in six innings. Given an extra day’s rest before the start, López was still strong in his final inning.
“I feel healthy, I feel strong,” López said through a translator. “I think I just felt good about being able to hold them there.”
López said Kelenic’s two-run double in the second also put him in a mood to celebrate.