Braves complete sweep of Marlins to reach NLCS

HOUSTON — Rookie Kyle Wright dazzled for six innings in his postseason debut, and the Atlanta Braves rode their superb pitching to beat the Miami Marlins 7-0 Thursday for a three-game sweep and their first trip to the NL Championship Series since 2001.

Atlanta had lost eight straight Division Series, including in each of the previous two seasons, before outscoring the Marlins 18-5, including 11-0 in the final two games. The Braves are

5-0 with a 0.92 ERA in the postseason, allowing five runs in 49 innings.

There were only a few scattered cheers as the Braves wrapped up the series in an almost empty Minute Maid Park, where the only fans allowed were players’ friends and families.

They will play the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego in the NLCS starting Monday in Arlington, Texas.

The Braves had not advanced to the NLCS since they were led by Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz, a team managed by Bobby Cox.

Wright (1-0) was sharp despite not pitching since Sept. 25, allowing three hits and walking two with a career-high seven strikeouts. A.J. Minter, Jacob Webb and Shane Greene finished the five-hitter to give the Braves four shutouts in five playoff games.

They’re the second team in history to throw four shutouts in the first five playoff games, joining the

1905 New York Giants. Travis d’Arnaud doubled twice, with the first one driving in two runs in Atlanta’s big third inning. The veteran catcher, who bounced around three teams in a tough 2019, helped steady Atlanta’s young starters, was 6 for 10 with three doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs in the sweep.

The Marlins, who lost

105 games last season, were the feel-good story of this postseason after overcoming a coronavirus outbreak to reach the postseason for the first time since 2003.

Rookie Sixto Sanchez

(0-1) walked Ronald Acuna Jr. to start the third, and Acuna stole second before advancing to third on a single by Freddie Freeman. Marcell Ozuna laced a single that scored Acuna.

D’Arnaud knocked a double off the bullpen in right-center to send two home and extend the lead to 3-0. The Braves tacked on another run on a sacrifice fly by Dansby Swanson.

ASTROS 11, ATHLETICS 6:

Carlos Correa hit a go-ahead, three-run homer after Michael Brantley’s two-run shot in the fourth inning, helping Houston beat Oakland to clinch its home-run heavy AL Division Series in four games.

Correa drove in five as the Astros — October villains to many a year after their sign-stealing scandal was revealed — advanced to the AL Championship Series for the fourth consecutive season.

It will be their first ALCS under Dusty Baker, their 71-year-old manager. Baker earned his first closeout win since the 2003 NL Division Series and improved to 4-13 in closeouts.

Houston will play either the New York Yankees or Tampa Bay Rays in the best-of-seven ALCS in San Diego. The Rays lead their ALDS 2-1.

The Astros and A’s combined for 24 homers — 12 each — the most in a postseason series of five games or less.