Diamondbacks put up 6 runs in 1st inning, Braves come back to steal win

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte led off his second straight game with a home run in a six-spot first inning off Atlanta lefty Max Fried, but the Braves stormed back for a 9-8 victory at Truist Park on Saturday.

Marte’s 461-foot tater started yet another multi-run first inning for the D-backs, their seventh in nine games this year. Saturday was their highest-scoring thus far, as the D-backs put up the six runs on seven hits, bringing 11 hitters up.

The Braves, however, scored seven unanswered runs after trailing 8-2. The D-backs had not lost a game in which they scored six runs in the first inning since 2001.

Back-to-back days with a leadoff home run for Ketel Marte! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/E0icCm3iFM

— MLB (@MLB) April 6, 2024

D-backs continue first inning success

Marte’s impact didn’t end with the homer, as he laced an RBI double into right field to score the sixth run. He entered the game hitting 6-for-15 against lefties to start the year (.400).

The last D-backs player to hit lead-off homers in consecutive games was Jean Segura in 2016.

Corbin Carroll, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Christian Walker, Randal Grichuk and Jake McCarthy all collected hits, as well. Grichuk’s came in his first plate appearance with the team after he came off the 10-day injured list. He hit a jam-shot single with the bases loaded to score a run.

Fried, someone with two top-five finishes in the NL Cy Young race, only recorded two outs and was tagged with three earned runs in his season debut last weekend against the Phillies before another disastrous first inning.

The D-backs have now scored 21 runs in nine first innings to open the year.

Arizona scored three runs to start Friday’s game, but the Braves came back and won 6-5 in 10 innings.

Braves come back

A three-run shot by Marcell Ozuna off D-backs starter Brandon Pfaadt in the fifth inning put Atlanta back in striking distance down 8-5. Pfaadt finished with 5.2 innings, five earned runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts.

Bryce Jarvis struck out 2023 NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. to end the sixth inning, but he surrendered four straight hits in the seventh that plated a pair of runs.

Acuña delivered the game-tying RBI single flared to right field against Luis Frias in the eighth, and he scored on an Austin Riley knock past diving shortstop Blaze Alexander.

Atlanta finished the game with 15 hits.

D-backs catcher Gabriel Moreno had an opportunity to tie the game in the ninth inning with a runner on second and two outs. Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia made a sliding play to end it, as Arizona dropped the first two games of a series they led after 15 of 19 innings.

The Diamondbacks are 4-5 this season with a plus-19 run differential.

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