Freddie Freeman smacked a pair of two-run home runs and added an RBI single to support six strong innings from Julio Teheran and lift the host Atlanta Braves to their fourth straight victory, a 5-3 win against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday night.
Atlanta secured a three-game series sweep while prevailing for the 12th time in the past 14 contests to surge to a season-high 30 games over .500 at 84-54.
Mark Melancon pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn his eighth save and send the White Sox to their sixth straight defeat.
Teheran (9-8) limited the White Sox to two runs and three hits with four walks and five strikeouts. His mound opponent, Lucas Giolito, delivered the only runs against Teheran with a two-run single in the second inning with two strikes and two outs, collecting the second hit of his career.
Giolito's hit tied the game after Freeman put the Braves ahead 2-0 just three batters in, homering to right field to score Ronald Acuna, who opened the game with a walk.
Giolito (14-8) allowed four runs and four hits in six innings with one walk and seven strikeouts. He had two strikes on Freeman with two outs in the sixth before the first baseman hit his club-leading 38th home run, a shot to center field, to give Atlanta a 4-2 lead.
Freeman was back in the lineup Sunday after leaving the previous game with foot discomfort. He provided an insurance run in the series finale with an RBI single in the eighth, and he collected three of Atlanta's six hits.
The White Sox drew within 4-3 in the seventh on Jose Abreu's two-out RBI single against reliever Luke Jackson. The hit put two runners on base for Yoan Moncada, but Tim Anderson, who had two hits, was caught stealing third to end the inning.
Chicago completed the interleague portion of its schedule with a thud to finish 6-14 against the National League this season.
--Field Level Media
Chi. White Sox | Atlanta | |
Lucas Giolito | Player | Julio Teheran |
Loss | W/L | Win |
6.0 | IP | 6.0 |
7 | Strikeouts | 5 |
4 | Hits | 3 |
6.00 | ERA | 3.00 |
Chi. White Sox | Atlanta | |
Tim Anderson | Player | Freddie Freeman |
2 | Hits | 3 |
0 | RBI | 5 |
0 | HR | 2 |
3 | TB | 9 |
.667 | Avg | .750 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Chi. White Sox | 5 | 0 | 6 | .161 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Atlanta | 6 | 2 | 13 | .207 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 |