ATLANTA (AP) – Freddie Freeman homered twice off All-Star Lucas Giolito and drove in five runs, providing all the offense for the Atlanta Braves in their 5-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.
The Braves have won four straight are 12-2 since Aug. 16, moving 30 games over .500 for the first time since 2013. They have won a season-best nine straight home games to stay 5{ games ahead in the NL East.
The White Sox have lost six in a row.
Atlanta took a 2-0 lead in the first as Freeman homered to right. Giolito (14-8) retired his next 14 consecutive batters before Johan Camargo led off the sixth with a pinch-hit double and Freeman followed with a tiebreaking, 410-foot shot to center.
It marked the first time in seven starts that Giolito, who allowed four runs and four hits, gave up more three runs. He was 3-2 with a 2.25 ERA over his previous six outings.
Freeman added an RBI single in the eighth.
Julio Teheran (9-8) struck out Jose Abreu and Yoan Moncada to strand a runner at second in the first, but he floundered in the second, allowing consecutive walks and a two-run single to Giolito, the pitcher’s first RBI in 13 career at-bats, to make it 2-all.
That ended a streak of 14 consecutive scoreless innings for Teheran, who gave up two runs and three hits in six innings.
The White Sox cut the lead to 4-3 in the seventh on Abreu’s RBI single off Luke Jackson.
Closer Mark Melancon earned his eighth save and seventh with Atlanta by facing the minimum in the ninth.
Freeman singled to right off Ryan Goins to score a runner from second in the eighth.
