The Atlanta Braves ripped five two-run home runs on Monday night as they cruised to a 12-0 victory over the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas.
Kevin Pillar and Ronald Acuna Jr. had two-run shots in the second inning, Orlando Arcia added one in the sixth, Austin Riley followed with one in the seventh and Marcell Ozuna capped the two-run homer party with his own in the ninth.
Those homers, coupled with a strong start by right-hander Charlie Morton, helped the Braves end a four-game losing streak and spoil Cody Bradford’s major league debut.
Bradford, who grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and attended Baylor, had a forgettable night, allowing six runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts over five innings.
Bradford (0-1) had a 0.91 ERA in seven starts at Triple-A Round Rock this season, but the Braves were too much to handle on Monday.
Pillar belted a two-run home run with one out in the second inning. Three batters later, Acuna unleashed a shot over the center field fence. The Braves added two more runs off Bradford in the fifth on back-to-back RBI doubles by Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies.
Rangers reliever Cole Ragans didn’t fare much better, giving up the two-run homers to Arcia and Riley. Ozuna homered off Rangers catcher Sandy Leon, who pitched the ninth.
Those runs were more than enough for Morton (5-3), who scattered seven hits with one walk and 10 strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings. Danny Young kept the shutout intact with 2 1/3 innings of relief.
It marked the fourth time this season that the Rangers have been shut out. They were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base.
Rangers leadoff man Marcus Semien finished with three hits, while Jonah Heim had a single in the second inning to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. Texas first baseman Nathaniel Lowe went 0-for-3 as his 13-game hitting streak ended.
–Field Level Media