ATLANTA — Austin Riley drove in three runs with three hits, including a two-run homer, Marcell Ozuna added a three-run shot, and the Atlanta Braves’ long-suffering lineup showed signs of recovery in a 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night.
Atlanta left-hander Chris Sale (9-2) improved to 7-0 at home, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks in seven innings in a strong outing after the Braves were on the losing end of his past two starts.
Not all the news was good for the home team.
Braves leadoff hitter and center fielder Michael Harris II left in the first inning with tightness in his left hamstring, and Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Harris is headed to the 10-day injured list with imaging tests planned for Saturday.
“He said he felt something,” Snitker said. “That usually is not good.”
Atlanta lost right fielder and reigning National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., who had been in the leadoff spot, to a season-ending knee injury May 26. That was the second season-ending injury to a key player, with right-hander Spencer Strider making just two starts this year before having elbow surgery.
Riley had a run-scoring double in Atlanta’s five-run first inning and added a two-run homer, only his fourth of the season, in the second. An All-Star the past two seasons, the 27-year-old third baseman took a .220 batting average into the game.
“I’ve been obviously working hard to get it right,” Riley said. “To see some results is nice.”
The Braves’ seven runs, all scored in the first two innings, were their most for a full game since an 8-3 win against the Boston Red Sox on June 4. It was a much-anticipated bright spot for a struggling offense.
“Getting Austin involved is huge for us,” Snitker said.
The Braves’ 3.55 runs scored per game since May 1 ranked as the second-lowest average in Major League Baseball, ahead of only the American League’s Chicago White Sox (3.25), in that span.
Atlanta’s bats showed encouraging production in a 6-3 win against the host Baltimore Orioles on Thursday that ended a five-game losing streak. The Braves’ 12 hits against Baltimore were their most since June 1. On Friday, they added a dozen more against Rays right-hander Zack Littell (2-5) and four relievers.
Ozuna has been the lone consistent hitter in the otherwise disappointing lineup. He leads the NL with 19 homers and 60 RBIs.
“I don’t feel like he’s getting enough love from the baseball world for what he is doing for us, almost on a nightly basis,” Riley said.
The Rays took a 1-0 lead in the first on Amed Rosario’s RBI double but stranded runners on second and third when Sale struck out Jose Siri and Jonny DeLuca.
Littell allowed seven runs (six earned) on eight hits, including the homers by Ozuna and Riley, in two innings.
“Just didn’t execute,” Littell said. “Just a bad night. Threw pitches in bad spots. Kind of went away from what I was doing well.”
Braves left fielder Jarred Kelenic made a leaping catch at the wall of DeLuca’s drive off Dylan Lee in the ninth after a double by Siri. Richie Palacios, who had a run-scoring double in the seventh, drove in Siri with a single. Raisel Iglesias recorded the final out for his 18th save of the season.
On the injury front, Atlanta right-handed pitcher Ian Anderson is moving closer to a rehab assignment as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery in April 2023. Anderson has been throwing at the team’s Florida complex.
“He’s been pretty good,” Snitker said. “It’s just a matter of building him up now.”
The three-game series continues Saturday, when Atlanta right-hander Charlie Morton (3-3, 4.12 ERA) will face his former team — he pitched for the Rays in 2019-20 — and Tampa Bay counters with right-hander Ryan Pepiot (4-3, 4.17).