SAN FRANCISCO -- Robbie Ray capped a dominant June by allowing only one unearned run over eight innings to lead the Giants to a 3-2 win over the Braves in Sunday afternoon’s series finale at Oracle Park.
It marked the second consecutive start of at least eight innings for Ray, who improved to 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA over five starts this month.
The victory secured a winning homestand for the Giants (35-48), who went a combined 4-2 against the A’s and Braves.
Ray and Atlanta left-hander Chris Sale each put up zeros through the first five innings before the Giants finally broke the stalemate with the help of some sloppy defense by the Braves in the bottom of the sixth.
Luis Arraez led off the inning with an amazing inside-out swing on a 2-2 slider from Sale, resulting in a 61.1 mph grounder that rolled just inside the third-base line for an infield single. Heliot Ramos, who was activated off the 10-day injured list on Sunday, followed with another single to put a pair of runners on with no outs for Rafael Devers.
Devers sent a tapper to third that was fielded by Austin Riley, who made an errant throw that got away from first baseman Matt Olson, allowing Arraez to score from second as Devers reached on an infield single.
Jung Hoo Lee kept the rally going with the Giants’ fourth single of the inning, which also didn’t leave the infield. He hit a two-out grounder to the right side that was corralled by second baseman Ozzie Albies, who spun around before throwing wide of Olson at first base. Albies’ error brought home Ramos from third, extending the Giants’ lead to 2-0.
San Francisco added an insurance run in the seventh, when Drew Gilbert singled, advanced to third on a double by Matt Chapman and scored on a sacrifice fly from Arraez.
Ray looked as if he might have a chance at going the distance when he took the mound in the top of the eighth with his pitch count at 77. But he had to work a little harder to get through his final inning after Chapman committed an error on Eli White’s routine grounder to the left side.
White advanced to third on Mauricio Dubón’s double to right field before scoring on Michael Harris II’s sacrifice fly to cut the Giants’ lead to 3-1.
Ray ultimately departed after allowing only four hits while walking one and striking out two. Closer Caleb Kilian took over in the ninth and allowed the Braves to pull within one after Olson led off with a double and scored on an RBI groundout by Riley, but he struck out former Giant Mike Yastrzemski swinging to end the game.