ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Sean Murphy hit a two-run homer and the red-hot Atlanta Braves began a weekend series between teams with the best records in the major leagues with a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night.
With right-hander Charlie Morton (9-6) pitching into the seventh inning and Murphy extending a power surge that has seen Atlanta homer in 24 straight outings, the Braves won for the 19th time in 21 games to improve baseball’s best mark to 59-28.
The AL-best Rays (57-34) have lost a season-high six straight, although that wasn’t the lone reason for concern after starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow (2-3) left in the sixth inning with what the club announced was “cramping.”
Murphy went deep in the fourth inning after Atlanta’s first baserunner, Matt Olson, reached on an error. The drive to right-center wiped out a 1-0 lead the Rays took on Wander Franco’s homer off Morton in the first.
Atlanta, which leads the majors with 167 homers, has homered in 24 straight games dating to June 11. That’s the longest active streak in the majors and second-longest in the franchise’s modern era behind a 25-gamer in 1998.