The game turned in one decisive inning. Atlanta erased an early deficit with three runs in the third, then rode Chris Sale's dominant pitching to a 3-1 victory over Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park.
Sale controlled the game from the mound, allowing five hits over seven innings while striking out seven. The veteran left-hander carried a 2.79 ERA into the contest and improved to 4-1 with the victory. Robert Suarez closed out the ninth with two strikeouts for his first save.
Philadelphia struck first when Reyes homered to right in the second inning, a 348-foot shot that gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead. But Atlanta answered immediately in the third. Baldwin scored on Riley's infield single to the pitcher, with Olson advancing to second and Albies to third. Dubón then delivered the decisive blow, singling to center to bring home both Albies and Olson and give the Braves a 3-1 advantage they would not relinquish.
Cristopher Sanchez absorbed the loss despite allowing no earned runs over six innings. The Philadelphia starter gave up eight hits and struck out eight, but three unearned runs proved costly. His ERA remained at 1.59.
Atlanta extended its winning streak to three games and improved to 13-7, maintaining first place in the division. Philadelphia fell to 8-11 with its third straight loss. Sale sits one win away from 150 career victories, while Albies is two stolen bases from 100 and Riley needs three RBIs to reach 500.