Atlanta rookie Shuster allows only 1 hit as Braves edge Mariners 3-2 for series win

ATLANTA (AP) — Jared Shuster allowed one hit in six innings to earn his first career win and the Atlanta Braves took their first series victory over Seattle in 12 years by beating the Mariners 3-2 on Sunday.

Shuster (1-2) had seven strikeouts with only one walk in his fourth major league start. After beginning the day with a 7.24 ERA, the rookie left-hander made a strong case for getting a longer look in a rotation that has lost Max Fried and Kyle Wright to injuries.

Jarred Kelenic led off the second with his ninth homer for the Mariners’ only hit off Shuster. Kelenic struck out in his next three at-bats.

Atlanta led 3-1 before Jose Caballero hit his first big league homer, an eighth-inning liner to left field off Nick Anderson.

Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts for his third save in four chances.

Travis d’Arnaud had two hits, including his first homer of the season, for Atlanta.

Seattle right-hander George Kirby (5-3) allowed three runs in seven innings as the Mariners wrapped up a 4-5 road trip.

The Braves won two of three for their first series win over the Mariners since 2011, when Atlanta swept three games in Seattle. The Mariners won two of three at home against the Braves last season.

Before this series, the Mariners had not played in Atlanta since the 2017 debut of Truist Park.

One day after the Braves fell to 0-3 in bullpen committee games with a 7-3 loss to the Mariners, Shuster gave the depleted rotation a boost. He earned a spot on Atlanta’s opening-day roster by posting a 1.74 ERA in six spring training appearances before allowing a combined eight earned runs in his first two starts.

Atlanta produced a first-inning run for the 20th time this season. Ronald Acuña Jr. singled, extending his hitting streak to 11 games, and scored from first on Matt Olson’s double to the right-field corner.

SPEED THREAT

Caballero, who began the day with three stolen bases this season, doubled his total. He became the first Mariners player with three steals in a game since Mallex Smith had four against Texas on May 27, 2019. Smith had 46 stolen bases that season.

Caballero was hit by a pitch in the third inning before stealing second and third. He walked in the sixth and stole second. In each inning, Caballero was stranded on third base.

UP NEXT

Mariners: RHP Luis Castillo (2-2, 3.31 ERA) will face LHP Kyle Muller (1-3, 7.71) when Seattle opens a home series against Oakland on Monday night.

Braves: RHP Charlie Morton (5-3, 2.85) will start when Atlanta opens a three-game home series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night in a matchup of first-place teams with the two best records in the NL. Morton is 1-2 with a 4.94 ERA in five career starts against the Dodgers.

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