ANAHEIM, Calif.—Ramón Laureano hit a home run for the second straight game and the Atlanta Braves wrapped up a 10-game road trip with a 3–1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.
Laureano continued to give the Angels trouble, just as he did during his six previous seasons as a member of the Oakland Athletics. The right fielder staked Atlanta to a 2–0 lead in the fourth inning when he drove a curveball from Jack Kochanowicz (1–3) some 442 feet over the wall in left-center field.
It was Laureano’s 14th homer in 69 games against the Angels. He was 4 for 11 during the weekend series, and 10 for 29 with four homers and four RBIs on the road trip.
“I really have no idea. It’s not like I see the ball very legit here, but it just happens, I guess,” said Laureano, discussing his success against the Angels.
Charlie Morton (7–7) struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings for Atlanta, which went 6–4 on its trip. Raisel Iglesias retired the Angels in order in the ninth for his 26th save in 28 opportunities.
“There were some rough games in there, but any time you can come West and finish over .500, that’s pretty good,” Braves Manager Brian Snitker said.
At 66–58, Atlanta is seven games behind National League East-leading Philadelphia going into a three-game series with the Phillies that starts Tuesday. The Braves have a two-game lead on the New York Mets for the final National League wild-card spot.
“I think you get excited for every series this time of year, especially where we’re at,” Snitker said. “We’re fighting for our lives here. I don’t think any one series is any bigger than the next from here on out.”
The Braves also have an injury concern going into the series against the Phillies because third baseman Austin Riley left in the first inning after being hit by a pitch on the right hand. Preliminary X-rays and CT scans were inconclusive, with more tests scheduled for Monday in Atlanta.
Morton didn’t allow a hit through four innings before running into trouble in the fifth.
Brandon Drury began the inning with a single, Matt Thaiss drew a walk, and Jo Adell singled to load the bases. Drury scored when Mickey Moniak was hit by a pitch, but the Angels couldn’t get anything else. Michael Stefanic fouled out and Taylor Ward grounded into a double play.
“I thought today my stuff is working well, arm’s good. Starting to see some of the swing and miss that I usually have,” said Morton, who allowed one run on two hits and walked two.
The Angels lost five of six on their homestand and find themselves tied with Oakland for last place in the American League West. They are also a season-worst 18 games under .500 at 53–71.
“We got good pitching and defense. We just couldn’t execute [in] some situations. And it was our downfall right there,” Manager Ron Washington said.
The Braves took a quick 1–0 lead in the first. Michael Harris II drew a leadoff walk and scored on Matt Olson’s two-out single to left. They extended their lead to 3–1 in the eighth when Jarred Kelenic’s sacrifice fly with the bases loaded drove in Marcell Ozuna.
Trainer’s Room
Braves: Catcher Travis d'Arnaud was out of the lineup after being hit on the right wrist by a pitch Saturday night.Up Next
Braves: Return home to open a three-game series Tuesday against Philadelphia.Angels: Right-hander Carson Fulmer (0–3, 4.22 earned-run average) is set to take the mound Monday, when Los Angeles begins a three-game series at Kansas City.
