CHICAGO -- Questions began percolating about Grant Holmes' status in the Braves’ rotation after a less-than-stellar outing against the Diamondbacks in his last appearance.
Holmes emphatically quelled them on Thursday and nearly etched himself in history in the process.
Holmes carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, losing his shot at history on an Andrew Benintendi single in the Braves’ 2-0 win over the White Sox at Rate Field in a makeup of a June 11 rainout. The Braves haven’t had a no-hitter since Kent Mercker kept the Dodgers out of the hit column on April 8, 1994.
The 30-year-old exited after Benintendi’s knock that came after Miguel Vargas had started the inning with a walk. That prompted manager Walt Weiss to bring in right-hander Didier Fuentes, who escaped the jam by striking out the next three batters.
Holmes had allowed six earned runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings on Aug. 15 in the Braves’ 10-3 loss to the Diamondbacks. It appeared to be a blip on the radar, since his first two starts in August had resulted in 12 scoreless innings and eight hits allowed. But the return of AJ Smith-Shawver created those queries about Holmes’ status.
What a difference an outing can make.
Holmes relied on his defense, striking out three and inducing seven ground-ball outs in the outing. Holmes kept the White Sox lineup, which is fourth in baseball in home runs, in the ballpark.
The Braves' bullpen shut the door on the White Sox to buoy Holmes’ stellar start. Dylan Lee struck out two in a scoreless eighth, and Raisel Iglesias picked up his 26th save of the year.
It was a bit of a redemption outing for Holmes, too. The right-hander faced the White Sox on June 9, allowing three runs on four hits and exiting in the fourth inning in a Braves loss. On Thursday, Holmes bounced back and showcased what he could mean to Atlanta's rotation down the stretch and into the postseason.