ATLANTA – Austin Riley is scorching hot and pleased that he’s helping the Atlanta Braves stay within striking distance of the lead in the National League East Division standings.
The big-hitting third baseman had a home run and three RBIs, and Kyle Wright pitched to his NL-leading 13th victory of the season as the Braves beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2 on Friday night to open a three-game series at Truist Park.
Riley homered in the first inning and drove in runs with doubles in the third and fifth. He has 11 homers, 24 RBIs and a .427 batting average this month.
“As long as we’re winning ballgames, that for me is what it’s all about,” Riley said. “If I can contribute in any way, that’s what I’m here to do. That’s what they’ve got me here to do. If I can do that, I feel like we’re right where we need to be.”
The Braves, who won the World Series last fall and have won the NL East the past four seasons, remained three games behind the first-place New York Mets in the division. Second-place Atlanta had lost four of its previous seven games but improved to 37-14 since June 1, the best record in Major League Baseball over that span.