 faced the minimum before Eloy Jimenez reached with one out in the fifth on a slow-rolling single down the line at third. The 25-year-old lefty allowed five hits and four runs and matched a career high with 11 strikeouts. He is tied with Washington's Stephen Strasburg for the NL lead in wins.The Braves led 4-0 in the second. Josh Donaldson got it going with a walk and used a headfirst slide to score from second on Dansby Swanson's single. Flowers' 10th homer landed in the first few rows of the left-field seats.Atlanta went up 5-0 in the fourth when Albies doubled and scored on Freeman's double. The Braves led 6-1 in the sixth when Albies' infield single scored a runner from third.Chicago starter Ivan Nova (9-11) allowed eight hits and five runs - four earned - in four innings. He had posted a 0.94 ERA in seven starts since July 22, the best in the majors over that span.Adam Engel lined an RBI single to cut the lead to 5-1 in the fifth for Chicago. The White Sox scored four runs in the seventh when Yolmer Sanchez chased Fried with an RBI single and Welington Castillo added a pinch-hit, three-run homer off Luke Jackson.Adeiny Hechavarria's pinch-hit, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh put Atlanta up 8-5. In the eighth, Freeman singled to drive in a run and scored on a fielder's choice to make it 10-5.Anthony Swarzak gave up two runs in the ninth, prompting Braves manager Brian Snitker to bring in closer Mark Melancon. With a runner on third, Melancon struck out Tim Anderson, his only batter, to earn his fifth save in five chances with Atlanta.TRAINER'S ROOMWhite Sox: OF Jon Jay (right hip) will undergo surgery and will miss the rest of the season. The 34-year-old Jay began the season on the injured list with a hip strain and wasn't activated until June 24 in the journeyman's only season with the team. He hit .267 with no homers and nine RBIs in 47 games.Braves: C Brian McCann (left knee) will return from the injured list Sunday. ... Austin Riley (right knee) has six hits in his last 14 at-bats of a rehab assignment, but it's too early to give an immediate timetable for his return. ... RF Nick Markakis (left wrist) played catch for the first time, but still hasn't been cleared to take swings. Though Snitker said Markakis is ahead of schedule, the 2018 All-Star likely won't return until mid-September.KEEP PRODUCINGFreeman began the game with the NL lead in RBIs and added two more to reach 109 and tie his single-season career high in 2013.WHIFFSFried also struck out 11 on June 30, 2018, at St. Louis.BYE-BYEChicago manager Rick Renteria was ejected after he argued with home plate umpire Brian Knight during a pitching change in the seventh.UP NEXTWhite Sox: RHP Reynaldo Lopez (8-11, 5.08 ERA) will make his 28th start of the season. He has a 2.82 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break.Braves: LHP Dallas Keuchel (5-3, 3.78 ERA) will make his 14th start since joining the Braves mid-season. Keuchel is 4-4 with a 3.49 ERA in nine career starts against the White Sox.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Nova, White Sox look to slow surging BravesFLMThe visiting Chicago White Sox hope to ding the Atlanta Braves' hot streak by sending their best pitcher to the mound in the opener of a three-game series on Friday.Chicago's Ivan Nova (9-10, 4.37 ERA) will face Atlanta left-hander Max Fried (14-4, 4.03) on Friday.The Braves have won nine of their last 11 and lead the NL East, but they can't afford to ease up with the Washington Nationals only 5 1/2 games back."Nobody's guaranteed, nobody's told me that we're in the playoffs yet," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. "So, I'm not doing anything but trying to win that night, because until we clinch the division, you're not guaranteed anything."Our lead is not insurmountable by any stretch, so every game is really important right now to win." Nova will be making his 28th start of the season, 16th on the road and fifth during interleague play. In seven starts since July 22, Nova is 5-1 with a 0.94 ERA, the best ERA in the majors over that span. During that streak, Nova has lowered his ERA from 5.86 to 4.37. The loss came in his most recent start on Saturday against Texas, even though he gave up just two runs (one earned) in 5 2/3 innings.Nova will be making his fifth career start against the Braves. He is 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA in four previous starts. He suffered a loss against the Braves in 2018 despite allowing only two runs over six innings when he was member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.Fried has won five straight decisions, including five straight starts before consecutive no-decisions. He allowed five runs in five innings on Saturday against the New York Mets as the Braves won 9-5. Fried has never faced the White Sox.The Braves and White Sox haven't played since 2016. Chicago's only previous trip to Atlanta came in 2002, and the Braves came away with a three-game sweep. Chicago leads the series 8-7.Chicago is 5-5 over its last 10 games. The White Sox were beaten 10-5 by the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. The Braves did not play Thursday.Veteran outfielder Jose Abreu is enjoying another outstanding season for the White Sox. He was 4-for-5 with two doubles on Thursday -- his 12th career four-hit game -- and lifted his batting average to .284. He has driven in a run in eight of last 10 games.Abreu picked up his 1,000th career hit earlier this week against Texas. Abreu continues to move up the team's career rankings; his 174 home runs rank sixth and his 590 RBIs ranks 14th."It means a lot to me, and I want to thank my family and the White Sox and everybody who has helped me throughout these six years," Abreu said. "They have been very good for me, and that's why I feel blessed." The Braves may be without Francisco Cervelli on Friday. The newly acquired catcher suffered a leg cramp in his left quad while running the bases on Wednesday and had to leave the game. Cervelli is 6-for-9 with four doubles in three games since joining the team.--Field Level Media
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