Braves Enjoy Homerun Party in Downing Texas 6-3
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — William Contreras hit two impressively long home runs, Austin Riley also connected and Travis Demeritte had an inside-the-park homer as the Atlanta Braves beat the Texas Rangers 6-3 on Friday night.
Demeritte was emphatically waved home by third-base coach Ron Washington, the baseball lifer who turned 70 on the day Atlanta opened the series in Texas. Washington was the manager of the Rangers for their only World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011, and finally got a championship ring last year with the Braves.
While the four Atlanta homers came off four different Rangers pitchers, Braves right-hander Ian Anderson (2-1) allowed two runs and three hits with five strikeouts and two walks over six innings. Kenley Jansen worked the ninth for his sixth save in as many opportunities.
Contreras hit both of his solo shots to center, a 429-foot drive leading off the third, and a 435-footer in the sixth that made it 6-1 and included a salute from Washington as he rounded third. Those were the first homers this season for Contreras, and his first career multihomer game.
Adolis Garcia and Corey Seager homered for Texas, which lost its fourth game in a row. It was Seager’s third homer, and second in as many days.
Ronald Acuña Jr. was out of the Braves lineup as planned, a day after going 1 for 5 with a pair of stolen bases in his return from a torn ACL in his right knee less than 10 months after the injury.
Atlanta went ahead to stay after Demeritte led off the game with a single and Riley hit his sixth homer, a 424-foot shot over the center-field wall against Garrett Richards (0-1), the first of six Texas pitchers.
When Demeritte led off again in the third, Garcia initially turned the wrong way in center field. By time Garcia recovered and lunged about 40 feet from the wall, the ball hit the ground right in front of him, then ricocheted off his glove and away from him toward the warning track.
WASH RETURN When the base coaches were introduced before the top of the first inning, Washington got a loud ovation from the crowd, and tapped his heart in a show of appreciation. When his birthday was noted on the big video boards before the second, there was an even louder response from the fans and Washington, who was the Texas manager from 2007-14, tipped his helmet toward them.
Braves: Acuña is expected to play Saturday night, but not in the series finale Sunday. That will be a day game after a night game and a travel day, two of the scenarios in which the Braves say the outfielder won’t play for now.
Rangers: RHP Jon Gray (left knee sprain) threw live BP before the game. He is expected to throw at least one more time before the team will decide if he’s ready to come off 10-day injured list. … Co-pitching coach Doug Mathis has entered COVID-19 protocol and was away from the team.
UP NEXT
Rookie right-hander Bryce Elder (1-2, 4.30 ERA), who grew in Decatur, Texas, only about an hour from Globe Life Field, starts Saturday night for the Braves. Atlanta got him in the fifth round of the 2020 draft out of the University of Texas. Right-hander Dane Dunning (0-1, 4.91) goes for the Rangers.
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