ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves, who won 18 of their first 21 series this season, have since lost three of them in a row. And despite starting this week with the best record in Major League Baseball, they’re suddenly struggling just to win a game.
The San Francisco Giants hit three homers in the second inning, including a two-run shot by Luis Arraez, Carson Whisenhunt won a matchup of rookie starters on the mound, and the visitors held off the Braves 7-5 on Wednesday night to sweep a split doubleheader at Truist Park.
The Giants won the opening game of the doubleheader 7-2 as left-hander Robbie Ray threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings. The afternoon matchup was the completion of Tuesday night’s game, which was suspended due to rain with the Giants leading 3-2 and the Braves batting in the bottom of the second inning.
Atlanta’s Grant Holmes (4-3), who was on the mound Tuesday but did not return to complete the start, gave up three runs in two innings. Ray (5-6) began the day with an unimpressive 4.42 ERA but was dominant in relief of Adrian Houser, allowing just two walks in his first five innings before Austin Riley doubled to lead off the seventh, and he finished with eight strikeouts.
San Francisco’s Rafael Devers and Jung Hoo Lee homered on consecutive pitches from left-hander Dylan Dodd in the fifth. Willy Adames added a homer in the eighth off right-hander Anthony Molina. The Braves used four relievers behind Holmes.