Swept Again! Minnesota Twins Fall To Atlanta

MINNEAPOLIS -- — Chris Sale won his major league-leading 15th game with six crisp innings, Jorge Soler homered early and threw out a runner at the plate late, and the resurgent Atlanta Braves beat the struggling Minnesota Twins 5-1 to complete a three-game sweep Wednesday night.

Sale (15-3) continued his comeback season by stretching his streak of allowing two earned runs or fewer to 14 straight starts. Sale had six strikeouts to match San Diego's Dylan Cease for the major league lead with 197 this year and set a single-season Braves franchise record for a left-hander.

Matt Olson hit an RBI double and Luke Williams added a two-run double in a four-run seventh that broke the game open against Minnesota's beleaguered bullpen and propelled the Braves (73-60) to their ninth win in their last 11 games. They moved within five games of NL East leader Philadelphia.

Sale lowered his ERA to 2.58, currently the best in MLB, at the expense of the Twins (72-61), who fell 3 1/2 games behind AL Central leader Cleveland. Kansas City is one game back. Minnesota has a three-game lead on Boston for the final wild card spot.

Twins rookie David Festa (2-4) had his finest start to date spoiled by Sale and Soler.

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The right-hander struck out seven batters in a career-high six innings, with one run allowed on two hits and one walk.

After a day off on Thursday, RHP Pablo López (12-8, 4.26 ERA) starts Friday night to begin a three-game series against Toronto. RHP Kevin Gausman (12-9, 4.10 ERA) pitches for the Blue Jays.

Swept Again! Minnesota Twins Fall To Atlanta

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