Major League Baseball
Miley, Diamondbacks end Braves' nine-game win streak
Major League Baseball

Miley, Diamondbacks end Braves' nine-game win streak

Published Jul. 6, 2014 4:44 p.m. ET

 

Paul Goldschmidt doesn't often stand and stare at his homers. This time he had to look, just to make sure his drive stayed fair.

He liked what he saw.

Wade Miley earned his first win since early May, Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat Atlanta 3-1 on Sunday to end the Braves' nine-game winning streak.

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Goldschmidt ripped an inside pitch from Alex Wood toward the left-field seats in the third inning. He said he immediately figured it had home run distance. He was just hoping the ball would stay fair, and it hit the foul pole for his 16th homer.

"I wasn't sure," Goldschmidt said. "I knew it probably had the distance but it started fair and was going, so that was one of the few times I was watching to see what was going to happen. I saw it hit the pole and come down. I was pretty happy."

Miley (4-6) allowed one run on five hits and one walk in 6-2/3 innings. He struck out eight. The left-hander was 0-3 in his previous nine starts and had not won since beating the White Sox on May 10. The win snapped his streak of five straight no-decisions.

Miley shrugged when asked if he was relieved to finally get his fourth win.

"You really can't control that," he said. "You've just got to go out and try to give your team a chance to win. That's the plan. You don't go out to try to get wins, you just try to get quality innings and get your offense on the field and we were able to do that and able to score enough runs today."

Wood (6-7) allowed two runs on only three hits and three walks in seven innings.

B.J. Upton was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts to end his career-best 11-game hitting streak for NL East-leading Atlanta. The loss kept the Braves from sweeping their third straight series.

"We had a great run, had a great homestand," manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

Before the game, the Diamondbacks traded right-hander Brandon McCarthy and cash to the Yankees for left-hander Vidal Nuno.

Pinch-hitter Nick Evans' run-scoring double off Luis Avilan in the ninth pushed Arizona's lead to two. Evans drove in Martin Prado, who singled off Anthony Varvaro and stole second base.

Addison Reed gave up a leadoff single to Tommy La Stella in the ninth before striking out Christian Bethancourt. Reed wrapped up his 20th save when Ryan Doumit hit into a double play.

Arizona right-hander Brad Ziegler gave up a leadoff single to Andrelton Simmons in the eighth. With one out, Ziegler walked Justin Upton, and the runners advanced on Jason Heyward's groundout. Ziegler struck out Chris Johnson to end the inning.

Walks hurt both starting pitchers.

Wood issued a walk to Miley to open the third inning before Goldschmidt's two-out homer gave the Diamondbacks a 2-0 lead. Goldschmidt, who had an infield single in the first, had two of Arizona's three hits off Wood.

"That's baseball for you," Wood said. "You go into the game telling yourself that there's one guy you don't want to let beat you and then he ends up beating you."

Miley walked Justin Upton to open the fourth. He scored from second on Johnson's single up the middle.

Miley didn't allow another hit until Bethancourt singled with two outs in the seventh. Evan Marshall got the final out of the inning after walking pinch-hitter Dan Uggla.

NOTES: Braves C Evan Gattis, on the 15-day DL with a bulging thoracic disk, said an epidural early in the week helped "a little bit" but his back remains "just a little tight right now." He said he began stretching exercises on Saturday. ... The Braves open a four-game series at the Mets on Monday night with LHP Mike Minor facing RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka. Arizona RHP Chase Anderson will start when the Diamondbacks open a home series against Miami. ... Atlanta's previous loss was June 26 at Houston.  

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