Bryce Elder shuts down Marlins to lead Braves to 7th straight win

Field Level Media

Bryce Elder allowed only one hit over seven innings to help the Atlanta Braves extend their winning streak to a season-long seven games with a 4-1 win over the visiting Miami Marlins on Wednesday.

Atlanta improved to 7-2 against Miami this season and have won five straight against the Marlins.

Elder (8-6), making his 100th career start, made it through seven-plus innings for the fourth time this season, allowing one run on one hit and two walks, striking out three on an economical 84 pitches.

In two starts against the Marlins this season, Elder has allowed one run and five hits over a combined 12 2/3 innings.

The Marlins had the tying run at the plate in the eighth inning after back-to-back singles by Javier Sanoja and Xavier Edwards off Dylan Dodd. But Dodd got Kyle Stowers to fly out before Didier Fuentes entered and retired Otto Lopez on a one-pitch groundout.

Fuentes stayed in the game to work a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out two, and earned his second save.

Miami starter Eury Perez (5-9) pitched five innings and allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks. He matched his season high with nine strikeouts. Perez dropped to 0-3 in his career against Atlanta.

The Braves jumped on the Marlins for three runs in the second inning. Austin Riley drove in the first run with a ground-rule double to left and Drake Baldwin, in the midst of a 1-for-20 slump, delivered a two-run single to center field.

Atlanta added a run in the third inning. Michael Harris II hit a ground-rule double to left and scored when Mauricio Dubon slapped an opposite-field single to right.

Miami scored its lone run in the fifth inning. Owen Caissie walked, advanced to third on Jakob Marsee’s double — the Marlins’ first hit of the game — and scored on Joe Mack’s groundout to second base.

Miami reliever Josh Ekness returned from a right calf strain that had sidelined him since mid-May and pitched a scoreless ninth.