MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Chris Sale won his major league-leading 15th game with six crisp innings, Jorge Soler homered early and threw out a runner at the plate late, and the resurgent Atlanta Braves beat the struggling Minnesota Twins 5-1 to complete a three-game sweep Wednesday night.
Sale (15-3) continued his comeback season by stretching his streak of allowing two earned runs or fewer to 14 straight starts. Sale had six strikeouts to match San Diego’s Dylan Cease for the major league lead with 197 this year and set a single-season Braves franchise record for a left-hander.
“Being on a new team and having an opportunity to have a fresh start, it’s been fun,” said Sale, who earned an eighth All-Star selection after the last five seasons in Boston were largely spoiled by injuries. “It’s a very loose clubhouse. It’s an easy place to kind of come in and mesh, so just trying to do my job.”
Matt Olson hit an RBI double and Luke Williams added a two-run double in a four-run seventh that broke the game open against Minnesota’s beleaguered bullpen and propelled the Braves (73-60) to their ninth win in their last 11 games. They moved within five games of NL East leader Philadelphia, where they conveniently start a four-game series Thursday night.
Atlanta hasn’t been closer than five games to the Phillies since May 18.
“It’s a good time to have a happy flight,” Sale said.
Sale lowered his ERA to 2.58, currently the best in MLB, at the expense of the Twins (72-61), who fell 3 1/2 games behind AL Central leader Cleveland. Kansas City is one game back. Minnesota has a three-game lead on Boston for the final wild card spot.
The Twins had runners at second and third with no outs and the bases loaded with one out, but they failed to score in the fourth when Sale delivered two strikeouts and an inning-ending groundout.
“That’s, to me, why that guy’s the front-runner for the Cy Young,” manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s unbelievable when he gets his back to the wall like that, how he reaches back and can find a way to get out of it. That’s why he’s got 15 wins.”
Twins rookie David Festa (2-4) had his finest start to date spoiled by Sale and Soler.
The right-hander struck out seven batters in a career-high six innings, with one run allowed on two hits and one walk. That came by Marcell Ozuna leading off the seventh in a 1-1 game, prompting manager Rocco Baldelli to pull Festa for lefty Caleb Thielbar. Thielbar lost the lead, and Jorge Alcala let it grow.
“I probably won’t sleep much tonight, honestly. Just can’t lose him there,” Festa said, lamenting the walk. “I was confident I was going to put him away.”
Festa could have easily taken a lead into the seventh inning. The Twins got only one run across in the sixth despite four hits and three straight to start the frame.
Manny Margot was waved in by third base coach Tommy Watkins on a single by Ryan Jeffers and easily thrown out by Soler from right field for the first out. Jose Miranda hit a single in the next at-bat, and the Twins finally got on the board with Castro’s two-out single.
UP NEXT
Braves: RHP Charlie Morton (7-7, 4.24 ERA) takes the mound Thursday night in Philadelphia. LHP Cristopher Sánchez (9-9, 3.51 ERA) pitches for the Phillies.
Twins: After a day off on Thursday, RHP Pablo López (12-8, 4.26 ERA) starts Friday night to begin a three-game series against Toronto. RHP Kevin Gausman (12-9, 4.10 ERA) pitches for the Blue Jays.
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