Eduardo Rodriguez was outstanding for the Arizona Diamondbacks. But Atlanta Braves starter Grant Holmes, bullpen was better.
A pitcher's duel broke out in the desert on Friday night as the Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves proved that solid pitching wins games.
Well, on Friday night, the Braves came out on top with a 2-0 win over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Downtown Phoenix.
Eduardo Rodriguez went seven innings for the Diamondbacks, giving up just four hits, no runs, walked one, and struck out three. For the Braves, Grant Holmes went six innings and only allowed one hit. Holmes walked three and struck out four.
Neither Rodriguez nor Holmes were involved in the decisions. Atlanta reliever Robert Suarez pitched the eighth inning and got the victory. Raisel Iglesias worked a clean ninth inning to pick up his first save.
It was a scoreless game until the ninth inning. Diamondbacks reliever Paul Sewald was tasked with keeping the game scoreless and, hopefully, giving his team a chance to put up a late-inning victory.
Well, it didn't work out that way.
Ozzie Albies connected for his second home run this season, a shot over the right-field wall. That put the Braves up 1-0. But Matt Olson stepped up to the plate and socked his second homer of the season, giving Atlanta a 2-0 lead.
The way that the Braves' bullpen was pitching didn't leave much hope for the Diamondbacks. And, well, the home team couldn't get it together and picked up the loss.
With the defeat, the Diamondbacks fall to 3-5 in the young 2026 MLB season. Arizona is currently in third place in the National League West Division.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo watched his team unable to put together any real offense on Friday night. So, Lovullo probably hopes that Arizona can get the bats going on Saturday afternoon.
As for the Braves, the Friday night victory at Chase Field gives them a 6-2 record. They are currently in first place in the National League East Division.
The Diamondbacks and Braves will close out their four-game series with afternoon contests on Saturday and Sunday. Arizona gets a day off on Monday, but the team probably will be airborne and heading to the Big Apple.
Starting Tuesday, the Diamondbacks open a three-game series against the New York Mets at Citi Field. After that series, they'll head to the City of Brotherly Love and take part in a three-game series against Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Join the Community
Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!