SEATTLE — George Kirby pitches with a level of confidence not often found in rookies. It's why he's become such an asset for the Seattle Mariners.
Shutting down the hottest team in Major League Baseball should only help Kirby's confidence grow, especially with what's likely a big role for the 24-year-old right-hander in Seattle's playoff push — and potentially into the postseason.
"You can't be scared. You have to be confident, just do what you keep doing," Kirby said. "I didn't want to change anything today. I just wanted to attack them."
Sam Haggerty and Eugenio Suárez each hit a solo homer, and Kirby pitched into the seventh inning as the Mariners beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Saturday night to snap the reigning World Series champions' eight-game winning streak.
A day after the Braves took sole possession of first place in the National League East for the first time all season, the division's four-time reigning champs fell a half-game behind the New York Mets again after they beat the Miami Marlins earlier Saturday.
After the Braves won Friday's series opener 6-4, two big swings by the Mariners against Atlanta starter Max Fried proved to be the difference Saturday.
Haggerty hit the first pitch of the fifth inning out to left field for his fifth home run this year. Suárez followed an inning later, hitting a two-out shot to center for his 28th of the season. It was the first time this year Fried allowed multiple home runs in a start.
Julio Rodríguez lined a two-out RBI double in the seventh off reliever Jesse Chavez that didn't stop rolling until it reached the wall in right-center field, allowing Adam Frazier to score from first.
Seattle gained a game on the Tampa Bay Rays and didn't lose ground to the Toronto Blue Jays in the tight race for three American League wild cards. Seeking their first postseason berth in 21 years, the Mariners are five games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles for the final spot.
"That's a great team," Haggerty said of the Braves. "They're going to be deep in October, and for him to do what he did tonight to get us back into this series, I can't speak enough about what George did tonight."
Kirby (7-3) was outstanding in the 21st start of his rookie season, and only some bad luck kept him from pitching longer. He had six strikeouts without a walk, and he has a 1.99 ERA over his past 11 starts.
"The first time I've seen him, and he works fast, gets the ball over the plate. He's got a good feel for the secondary stuff. Impressive guy," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. "I mean, he was just on the attack all night. There were a lot of strikes. I can see why he is successful."
Kirby shut out the Braves for six innings on two hits and retired 12 straight until Dansby Swanson's leadoff single in the seventh. Austin Riley hit what appeared to be a double play ball, but it bounced off shortstop J.P. Crawford's glove for an error, putting runners at first and third with no outs.
Andrés Muñoz took over and limited the damage to one run that scored on Matt Olson's groundout. Erik Swanson retired the Braves in the eighth, and Paul Sewald pitched the ninth for his 19th save this year.
"There's no more pressure on anybody than the starting pitcher every day. And understanding what was ahead of us tonight, I thought George could not have handled it any better," Seattle manager Scott Servais said. "You go out, you attack, you stay aggressive, and that's exactly what he did."
Fried (13-6), who made his first start in interleague play this season, had won his previous nine starts against AL teams. His final line was almost a mirror of Kirby's, throwing six innings and striking out six, but the two home runs proved the difference. Over his previous 14 starts, Fried had allowed two total home runs.
The game was played with the Puget Sound region engulfed in smoke from nearby wildfires. Conditions deteriorated Friday but got significantly worse after a new fire broke out overnight about 65 miles northeast of Seattle. Ash was falling throughout the region during the day, and air quality readings during the game were in the 170 range, which is considered unhealthy.
It also started affecting the play on the field. Atlanta right fielder Robbie Grossman briefly lost track of a popup before recovering in time to make the catch in the fifth inning. In the sixth, Suárez never saw a foul pop off the bat of Grossman that fell on the dirt in front of the Atlanta dugout.
In Sunday's series finale, the probable starters are right-hander Jake Odorizzi (5-5, 3.90 ERA) for Atlanta and left-hander Marco Gonzales (10-13, 3.98) for Seattle.