Ozzie Albies’ two-run homer in the fifth inning gave Atlanta the lead and the Braves overcame an early two-run deficit to beat the Miami Marlins 6-3 Sunday for their 16th win in 17 games. .
The Braves won their eighth straight game and completed a three-game sweep to extend their lead over second-place Miami in the NL East to nine games. Atlanta has won 10 straight at home and 23 of 26 overall.
Travis d’Arnaud’s two-run home run off Andrew Nardi in the eighth extended Atlanta’s lead to three runs.
Luis Arreaz drove in two runs on two hits, raising his batting average to .389. Arreaz gave Miami a 2-0 lead with a RBI double by Jonathan Davis in the second inning. Arreaz added a run-scoring single in the seventh to cut the Braves’ lead to 4-3.
Spencer Strider (10-2) had nine and allowed six hits and three runs, two earned, in 6 2-3 innings. Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 14th save in 16 chances.
Strider struck out five straight batters before Albies missed Davis’ two-out groundout in the seventh on an error. Strider left the game after walking Jacob Stallings, and Davis scored on Arraez’s single off AJ Minter.
Orlando Arcia’s home run in the second gave Atlanta its first run.
Michael Harris II singled to lead off Atlanta’s fifth of three runs. Harris stole second, moved to third on catcher Stallings’ throwing error, and scored on Sandy Alcantara’s wild pitch. Acuna walked and scored on Albies’ 20th home run, which barely cleared the right-field wall.
Alcántara (3-7) allowed four runs on five hits and two walks in five innings.
Ronald Acuna Jr., a distant second behind Arraez in the National League batting race, had two hits, raising his average to .336. Acuña stole two bases, giving him a career-high 39. He stole 37 bases in 2019.
The Braves, who scored 11 first-inning runs in the first two games of the series, left the bases loaded in the first when Marcell Ozuna ended the inning with a groundout.
