Chris Sale and Marcell Ozuna lead Braves to victory over Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. – In a mixed season, the Atlanta Braves had two stable forces: experienced left-hander Chris Sale on the mound and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna at bat.

They led to a stunning victory on Saturday night as the Braves ended a two-game losing streak and got their lineup back on track.

Sale struck out 10 batters in his 14th win of the year and Ozuna went 3 for 3 with an early three-run homer as the Braves beat the Los Angeles Angels 11-3, rebounding from a 3-2 loss Friday night in the opener of the three-game series.

Ramón Laureano and Whit Merrifield also hit home runs for the Braves, whose record rose to 5-3 after a six-game losing streak.

Atlanta (65-58) is the six-time reigning champion in the National League East, but is second in the current division standings, eight games behind the Philadelphia Phillies (73-50). The Braves remained third in the NL wild card standings, one game ahead of the New York Mets from the East, who are in contention for the league’s final playoff spot.

The Angels (53-70) are last in the American League West, 13 1/2 games behind the first-place Houston Astros (66-56), and the only team below them in the AL are the Chicago White Sox (30-94), who are already out of the race for a postseason spot six weeks before the end of the regular season.

Sale (14-3) allowed two runs on six hits and two walks in six innings, tying Tarik Skubal of the AL’s Detroit Tigers for the most wins in Major League Baseball this season. In his first season with the Braves, Sale was named an MLB All-Star eight times and went 8-0 with a 1.24 ERA in 11 appearances (nine starts) against the Angels – his lowest mark against any MLB team he has faced at least 10 times.

“We’re getting to know him and seeing what kind of professional he is, how he works, how competitive he is,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Sale, who has been sidelined by injuries in recent seasons and was traded from the Boston Red Sox to Atlanta in the offseason. “The stuff is really good. I’m happy for him that he’s having a normal year despite everything he’s been through. And it’s a great year.”

For Sale, it was the third consecutive game with double-digit strikeouts and the sixth this season.

“I’m just enjoying where I am and honestly enjoying playing baseball again,” said Sale, who leads the NL in wins, ERA (2.62) and strikeouts (187) on his way to the pitching Triple Crown. “Obviously, my last few years are well documented, and it was tough. But people go through tough times, you get over it, and here we are.”

Nolan Schanuel had three hits for the Angels and Kevin Pillar scored two runs against his former club, so Los Angeles fell to 1-4 after six home games. Griffin Canning (4-11) allowed seven runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings, which is a season high.

The Braves took a 3-0 lead three batters into the game when Michael Harris II hit a double, Austin Riley hit a single and Ozuna hit a home run to center field, his 36th of the season. They increased their lead to 4-0 in the second inning on a 3-for-5 RBI single by Harris.

Ozuna said the home run “meant a lot to the team and especially to me. I had this situation a lot in the last series and this series was the first time I didn’t think, ‘Please don’t hit.’ I got a good pitch to hit and I hit it.”

Ozuna is behind Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL lead with two home runs. He leads the league with 93 RBIs – Ohtani is second with 87 – and his .307 batting average is only behind Luis Arraez (.308) of the San Diego Padres for the NL lead, making him a potential candidate for the Triple Crown.

Atlanta tied the game with five runs in the fifth inning. Merrifield hit a home run to first, Travis d’Arnaud hit a two-run double and Laureano followed with a two-run home run.

“On a night like tonight, you’re up 3-0 before you even step on the field. That helps a lot too,” Sale said. “I’m surrounded by a lot of good people who push me in the right direction and help me stay upright and keep going.”

A rare highlight for the home team came in the sixth inning. Left fielder Taylor Ward attempted a sliding catch along the free throw line, but the ball slipped from his glove and bounced off his leg before he caught it in his lap and was eliminated.

The Angels broke through against Sale in the sixth inning with an RBI double from Pillar, who later scored on a wild pitch.

“If we could have come in with our bullpen and kept the game right there and not allowed those five runs in the fifth inning, it would have been a good game,” Angels manager Ron Washington said, before adding of Sale: “With that guy, you just have to stay in the game, let him pitch, keep going, get him out of there and get him in the bullpen. But we couldn’t stay in there.”

After d’Arnaud was hit by a pitch on the inside of his right wrist in the seventh inning, he was replaced at catcher by Sean Murphy in the bottom half of the inning. X-rays were negative.

Atlanta outfielder Jorge Soler was out of the starting lineup for the third consecutive game due to a strained left thigh.

The Braves end their 10-game road trip with Sunday’s playoff game against the Angels. Both teams are expected to start with right-handers on the mound.

Atlanta’s Charlie Morton (6-7, 4.40 ERA) set a season-high eight strikeouts in his final start on Tuesday. He went six innings but was unable to get a decision in the Braves’ win over the San Francisco Giants.

Jack Kochanowicz (1-2, 7.98) of the Angels will make his fourth career start and first since his first MLB win last Sunday against the Washington Nationals.