ATLANTA (AP) — Matt Olson homered late and doubled in an early run and the Atlanta Braves won their fifth straight game, beating the Minnesota Twins 3-0 Wednesday for a series sweep.
Atlanta has won 21 of 25 to improve to a National League-leading 53-27. Kolby Allard, Kirby Yates, A.J. Minter, Joe Jiménez and Raisel Iglesias combined on the four-hitter with 14 strikeouts.
Olson’s 26th homer, which leads the NL, came off Jordan Balazovic in the eighth and made it 3-0.
Jordan Weems worked out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the 10th inning against the heart of Seattle’s order, Lane Thomas hit a two-run double in the 11th, and the Washington Nationals beat the Mariners 7-4.
Corbin Carroll and Christian Walker hit back-to-back homers in a five-run first, Evan Longoria also homered against his former team and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-4.
Andrew Abbott was impressive on the mound again for Cincinnati, and Matt McLain and TJ Friedl both homered to lift the Reds to a 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Jordan Montgomery pitched six-hit ball into the seventh inning in his second straight win, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 4-2.
The Braves took a 1-0 lead in the first when Ronald Acuña Jr. walked, stole second base, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Olson’s double. Atlanta leads the majors with 76 first-inning runs.
Atlanta went up 2-0 in the third on Ozzie Albies’ sacrifice fly.
The Twins couldn’t capitalize on their scoring opportunities and finished 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position — and 0 for 23 in the three-game series.
Byron Buxton snapped a 0-for-17 streak with a double in the fourth but after advancing on a flyout he was tagged out at home trying to score on Kyle Farmer’s grounder to third. Donovan Solano struck out against Yates (3-0) with runners on first and second to end the fifth. Christian Vazquez lined into a double play to end the seventh.
Allard made a spot start in his season debut, last pitching in the majors on Oct. 2, 2022, with Texas. A first-round amateur draft pick by Atlanta in 2015, Allard was reacquired in November. He began the game with a career 9-23 record and a 6.07 ERA in 65 games, including 35 starts, but pitched well.
The lefty allowed three hits in 4 2/3 scoreless innings, walking none and striking out eight, one off his career high.
The Braves lead the majors with 147 homers, 21 more than the Los Angeles Dodgers, the No. 2 team. They have 55 long balls in June, one off the franchise mark set in June 2019.
Kenta Maeda (1-5) allowed two runs and five hits in five innings. He was coming off his first win of the season last Friday at Detroit, where he threw five scoreless innings. Maeda missed all of May and most of June due to the aftereffects of Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him all of last season.
Iglesias earned his 13th save in 15 chances, facing the minimum batters in the ninth with two strikeouts.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said RHP Brock Stewart, on the injured list with elbow tendinitis, was checked out by a team doctor in Minneapolis and nothing worse was found. … With an off day Thursday, SS Carlos Correa got the day off. The struggling two-time All-Star has been dealing with plantar fasciitis.
UP NEXT
Both teams are off Thursday. The Braves have yet to announce a starter for Friday, when they open a three-game series against Miami, but RHP Michael Soroka (0-1, 8.38 ERA) is a candidate to get called up from Triple-A Gwinnett. Minnesota will start LHP Pablo López (3-5, 4.41) when it begins a three-game set Friday at Baltimore.
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