Braves fail to pull off series win in Diamondbacks finale
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 05: Drake Baldwin #30 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates with teammates after hitting an RBI fielders choice against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning at Chase Field on April 05, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images Welp, going into extra innings to keep the game alive, the Arizona Diamondbacks capitalized on an opportunity to prevent the third consecutive series win for the Atlanta Braves (6-5) and end the series on a split. Besides Drake Baldwin’s solo homer in the first inning to give the Braves their early lead and racking up on RBI’s to keep the team in the game, today might not have started as the most exciting, but it sure was kept interesting to the finish.
The Diamondbacks were determined to keep the game steady, tying in the bottom of the first, gaining a two-run lead in the fourth (3-1), and taking it once more after Nolan Arenado’s RBI single to drive in Corbin Carroll in the sixth (4-3). Speaking of Drake Baldwin, this catcher is not letting up on his MVP campaign for the season. Entering with a solo shot to put the Braves on the board (Tying for the National League lead with Oneil Cruz), he also added an RBI single on three separate occasions to drive Jorge Mateo in, and tied all three times: once in the fifth (3-3), in the seventh (4-4) and again in the top of the ninth (5-5).
Wondering how Martín Pérez did in his first career start with the team? He allowed five hits, four earned runs and one walk across the five innings he pitched, getting one strikeout and bringing his ERA to 3. 86.
Not an ideal outing for the veteran, but keep in mind, after coming off an injury that limited him to 11 games last year with the White Sox, even with the positive remarks of his health status, it’ll still take time to adjust properly as a starter and setting the tone with his new team—let’s just hope the adjustment won’t take too long. Going into extra innings after Baldwin’s tying RBI single, it ended after a pitching change from Raisel Iglesias to Joel Payamps, who threw a changeup that resulted in Diamondback’s Ketel Marte to hit a double, driving Jorge Barrosa in for the final run (6-5). Back on the road again, the Braves are taking a trip to Anaheim, where Chris Sale will take the mound for the start.
If Sale keeps up his strong stint, and the offense can match it, we’ll be in for an interesting series, hopefully without any homerun robberies from the other side…