Braves come from behind, derail D-backs

PHOENIX — The Braves nearly let an early lead go to waste for the second straight night. However, Matt Kemp didn’t allow that to happen. The left fielder hit a go-ahead, two-run double in the eighth inning, the key blow in a 7-4 comeback win over the D-backs on Tuesday night at Chase Field.

After Atlanta loading the bases with two outs against Arizona reliever Jake Barrett, Kemp sent a double to right field to plate a pair of runs, with a third scoring on an error by Mitch Haniger to turn the Braves’ one-run deficit into a two-run lead. Jose Ramirez earned the win, helping the Atlanta bullpen combine for 6 1/3 scoreless innings.

“That’s a good ballgame to win, especially because they had a big inning against us again,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said after his team won for just the third time in its past 13 games. “We’ve been victimized by that over the last week. The guys keep coming back.”

Yasmany Tomas and Jake Lamb each drove in a pair of runs for the D-backs, who lost for the first time in five games against the Braves. Atlanta scored two runs in the first but came back to rally against Barrett, who allowed all three runs in the eighth on three hits and a walk.

“The whole bullpen has been used pretty hard, so he’s been run out there a bunch,” Arizona manager Chip Hale said. “It was all location for Jake tonight. If you look at the pitches, I went down and looked at them after the inning, he was supposed to go in here, the ball ends up out. Out, in. Just very, very poor location.”

D-backs starter Archie Bradley gave up three earned runs over five innings. Braves starter Rob Whalen lasted just 2 2/3 innings, giving up four earned runs on two hits with four walks and a pair of strikeouts.

MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDOnly two hits needed: Each of the D-backs’ first two hits plated a pair of runs. After Jean Segura, Michael Bourn, and Paul Goldschmidt …

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