PHOENIX - A fourth straight win against the Arizona Diamondbacks eluded the Atlanta Braves.
With a fourth straight division title at stake, they'll try to make sure the frustration of losing to the worst team in the National League doesn't linger.
Carson Kelly hit a tying three-run homer in a five-run seventh inning, Daulton Varsho followed with a go-ahead double and the last-place Diamondbacks beat the NL East-leading Braves 6-4 on Thursday.
Atlanta missed a chance to sweep a four-game set and extend its overall streak to five wins during this western swing. The Braves' run started with Sunday's victory against the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants, who have a one-game edge on the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Diamondbacks, outscored 26-7 by the Braves in the first three matchups of the series, are 50 games behind the Giants and playing out the string.
"You have to have a short memory," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "We came in here to win the series, and we did that."
Atlanta's lead in the division was trimmed to two games Thursday night when the second-place Philadelphia Phillies rallied from a six-run deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-6.
Arizona, which is tied with the Baltimore Orioles for the major leagues' worst record at 49-104, announced before the game against the Braves that manager Torey Lovullo was given a one-year contract extension through 2022.
"In a game we were getting pushed around by their starting pitcher, we withstood the strain," Lovullo said. "They fight. They unite. They stay focused."
Austin Riley homered for the third straight game as the Braves took a 3-0 lead off Madison Bumgarner with a three-run third inning. Dansby Swanson's sacrifice fly boosted the lead to 4-1 in the sixth.
However, Josh VanMeter and Ildemaro Vargas singled to open the bottom of the seventh off Atlanta starter Charlie Morton, and when Jacob Webb (5-4) entered in relief, Kelly hit his second pitch for a 376-foot homer to left field, his 12th this season. Pinch-hitter Kole Calhoun and Varsho followed with doubles, Tyler Matzek relieved and pinch-hitter Henry Ramos' sacrifice fly padded the lead.
"Today I just didn't have my stuff," Webb said. "It doesn't make it easier, but you have to bounce back."
Morton gave up three runs on five hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in his third start since signing a $22 million contract for 2022, a deal that includes a $22 million option for 2023. He has given up as many as four runs only once in his past 14 starts.
Bumgarner, who held the Braves hitless in a 7-0 victory in a seven-inning game during an April 25 doubleheader in Atlanta, gave up three runs on five hits and two waks with five strikeouts in five innings.
Sean Poppen (1-0) pitched a scoreless seventh for his first MLB victory, and J.B. Wendelken pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save of the season.
Travis d'Arnaud lined Bumgarner's 24th pitch for a single to left field with two outs in the second inning, halting Bumgarner's no-hit steak against Atlanta at 8 2/3 innings. Bumgarner's April win is not classified as an official no-hitter because it lasted only seven innings under MLB's coronavirus pandemic rules.
The Braves will play twice in San Diego on Friday, first finishing a July 21 game that was suspended after a lengthy rain delay in Atlanta with the Padres leading 5-4 entering the top of the sixth. It is scheduled for seven innings because it was part of a doubleheader, and it will be followed by the opener of a three-game series.