ATLANTA — Chris Sale pitched seven scoreless innings while allowing just two hits, and catcher Drake Baldwin, first baseman Matt Olson and third baseman Austin Riley all homered during a 19-hit outburst for the Atlanta Braves as they pounded Texas Rangers 15-1 on Friday night at Truist Park.
Both teams were returning from the midseason break for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, and one was clearly better prepared for a return to action than the other.
Sale (10-6) became the 27th pitcher in MLB history to reach 2,700 career strikeouts when he fanned Ezequiel Duran in the fifth inning.
Baldwin was 3-for-4 with a walk and five RBIs. His three-run homer into the Atlanta bullpen in the fourth inning made it 5-0. Two batters later, Olson hit a 420-foot solo shot into the Chop House restaurant beyond right field, and he finished 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored.
Baldwin, Olson and Sale were among six MLB All-Star selections for Atlanta, with second Ozzie Albies and closer Raisel Iglesias also made the National League roster for the Braves.