Associated Press photo by John Bazemore / Atlanta Braves slugger Freddie Freeman rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning of Sunday’s home game against the Chicago White Sox. Freeman homered twice and drove in all of the Braves’ runs in a 5-2 victory to complete a sweep of the three-game interleague series.ATLANTA – Freddie Freeman has no idea where he stands in the National League MVP conversation.
He just knows he’s producing big numbers for a team that keeps winning.
“If I have to keep putting numbers up, I’ll keep doing it,” the veteran Atlanta Braves first baseman said. “But I think we’ve got a pretty good team around me to take some pressure off.”
Freeman homered twice off fellow All-Star Lucas Giolito and drove in five runs Sunday, providing all the offense for the Braves in their 5-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox to complete a sweep of the three-game interleague series.
The Braves have won four straight games and are 12-2 since Aug. 16, moving 30 games over .500 for the first time since 2013. They have won a season-best nine straight home games to stay 5 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Washington Nationals in the NL East Division standings.
Atlanta took a 2-0 lead in the first inning as Freeman, a four-time All-Star, homered to right. Giolito (14-8) retired the next 14 batters he faced before Johan Camargo led off the sixth with a pinch-hit double and Freeman, who began the game tied for the major league lead in RBIs, followed with a tiebreaking, 410-foot shot to center field.
“This is Freddie’s team,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s our leader. He’s the one everyone goes to, including me. He’s got big shoulders, and he handles all of it. His perspective on things is second to none. Just a mature individual.”
It marked the first time in seven starts that Giolito, who allowed four runs and four hits, gave up more than three runs. He was 3-2 with a 2.25 ERA over his previous six outings.
Associated Press photo by John Bazemore / Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito sits on the bench after giving up a two-run home run to the Atlanta Braves’ Freddie Freeman in the sixth inning of Sunday’s game at SunTrust Park.“Freeman, one of the best hitters in the league, showed that today,” Giolito said. “I mean the fastball after a long at-bat (in the sixth), that was a poor pitch. But the first changeup I threw him – that doesn’t usually happen on the first changeup I throw to a guy – but it just shows he’s a good hitter. I tip my cap to him.”
Freeman added an RBI single to right off Ryan Goins in the eighth, scoring a runner from second. It marked the second time this season and the seventh time in his MLB career that Freeman has driven in five runs in a game.
Julio Teheran (9-8) struck out José Abreu and Yoán Moncada to strand a runner at second in the first, but he floundered in the second, allowing consecutive walks and a two-run single to Giolito, the pitcher’s first RBI in 13 career at-bats in the majors, to make it 2-all.
That ended a streak of 14 consecutive scoreless innings for Teheran, who gave up two runs and three hits in six innings.
The White Sox cut the lead to 4-3 in the seventh on Abreu’s RBI single off Luke Jackson. Closer Mark Melancon earned his eighth save of the season and seventh with Atlanta by facing the minimum in the ninth, handing the White Sox their sixth straight loss.
Freeman said he was diagnosed with a bone bruise on the outer side of his left foot after X-rays taken Saturday night were negative. He left the game in the sixth inning after getting hit by a pitch earlier in the game
“It feels like I have a rock in it,” he said. “On the side at 99 (mph) off of it doesn’t feel very good. Got some treatment, took some pain pills and went and got them today.”
Freeman needs two homers to become the fourth Brave to have a 40-homer, 30-double season. The previous three are Hall of Famers: Eddie Mathews in 1953, Hank Aaron in 1969 and Chipper Jones in 1999.
Ronald Acuña Jr. went 0-for-3 with a walk and has just three hits in his past 31 at-bats. His average has dropped 15 points to .284 since Aug. 13.
Braves catcher Brian McCann (left knee sprain) was reinstated from the injured list and went 0-for-3.