Chris Sale recorded 10 strikeouts and surpassed 200 for the season as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 in 10 innings on Wednesday night. Mauricio Dubón singled home the winning run in the 10th, while Matt Olson and Austin Riley each launched solo home runs.
Brent Suter tossed a scoreless 10th inning to pick up the win, while Sale wrapped up his final start before the postseason, allowing one run on four hits over 5 2/3 innings.
Chris Sale hits 200 strikeouts
Sale exited after striking out Reds rookie Sal Stewart for the third time. The 37-year-old left-hander has now reached 200 strikeouts nine times, the most by any pitcher since 2013.
He ended the night with 10 strikeouts and threw 97 pitches, hitting at least 99 mph on 12 of them. Sale’s last outing before the postseason concluded with the Braves still in position to win.
The Reds grabbed an early lead when right fielder Juan Brito led off the game with a home run to center field off Sale. Brito went 2 for 4 and hit his third homer of the season.
Atlanta answered in the sixth inning when Olson hit his 41st home run of the season to tie it at 1-1. Riley then added a solo homer in the seventh to knot the game at 2.
Dubón delivered the decisive moment in the 10th inning, finishing 2 for 4 with a walk while extending his hitting streak to 10 games. His RBI single put the Braves ahead for good.
Suter then worked a scoreless bottom of the 10th to secure the victory for Atlanta.
Robert Suarez made his first appearance for the Braves since June 19 after being sidelined with elbow inflammation. He pitched the seventh inning but allowed a leadoff triple to Matt McLain before Will Banfield’s sacrifice fly gave Cincinnati a 2-1 advantage.
Suarez threw 13 pitches in his return, but Atlanta answered in the bottom of the inning through Riley’s home run.
The Braves ultimately overcame Cincinnati’s two leads to finish the night with a 3-2 victory in extra innings.
Ronald Acuña Jr. did not play after suffering a bone bruise when he fouled a ball off his shin during Tuesday’s 4-0 loss to the Reds.
Braves manager Walt Weiss said Acuña had asked to play and believed he could handle right field Wednesday. Atlanta instead chose to be cautious with a postseason berth already clinched.
Acuña’s absence left the Braves without one of their regular options in the outfield, but Atlanta still managed to complete the comeback and close out the game in the 10th inning.
