Rookie Sanchez has another impressive outing in win

ATLANTA — Sixto Sanchez combined with four relievers on a four-hitter, Jorge Alfaro hit one of three homers for Miami and the Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves 8-0 on Tuesday night.

Garrett Cooper had two hits, including a two-run homer, and drove in three runs. Alfaro drove in two runs with two hits, including his first homer. Matt Joyce also homered.

The first-place Braves’ hopes a fourth straight NL East title suffered a setback when left-hander Max Fried, the team’s top starter, was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a left-side muscle spasm in his lumbar spine.

Miami trails Atlanta by 2 1⁄2 games in the division after winning the first two games of the three-game series.

Sanchez (2-1) allowed three hits in six-plus innings. The right-hander opened the game by striking out Ronald Acuna Jr. with a 100-mph fastball, the first of six strikeouts with one walk.

The 22-year-old Sanchez didn’t allow a runner to reach second base until the seventh. Marcell Ozuna had an infield single and Sanchez hit Austin Riley with a pitch.

James Hoyt walked Adeiny Hechavarria with two outs to load the bases. Richard Bleier ended the inning on pinch-hitter Travis d’Arnaud’s groundout.

Kyle Wright (0-4) allowed five runs on seven hits, including three homers, in four innings as his ERA climbed to 8.05.

Freddie Freeman doubled off Nick Vincent with two outs in the eighth for Atlanta’s only extra-base hit.

Fried had been the only current healthy member of Atlanta’s projected starting rotation. Atlanta lost ace Mike Soroka for the remainder of the season to a torn right Achilles tendon, and the Braves’ starters began the day with a 5.49 ERA. Miami’s young starters rank fifth in the NL with a 3.94 mark.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: INF Jon Berti did not start after cutting his hand while bunting and leaving Monday’s game in the 10th inning. “We’re going to try to give him one day, maybe two,” manager Don Mattingly said. “We feel like we dodged a bullet there.”

Braves: General manager Alex Anthopoulos said LHP Cole Hamels (triceps tendinitis) could make his first start of 2020 next week at Baltimore after throwing on Thursday at the alternate training site. Hamels impressed pitching coach Rick

Kranitz when he threw batting practice for the first time on Sunday. It would be unusual to activate Hamels after so little preparation, but losing Fried to the IL adds urgency to the team’s need for rotation help.

UP NEXT

Marlins: RHP Pablo Lopez (3-3, 3.05) will try to end a streak of two straight losses, each to Tampa Bay, in Wednesday night’s final game of the series. He allowed two runs in six innings of an 8-2 win over the Braves on Aug. 14.

Braves: LHP Tommy Milone has a 5.91 ERA in six career games against Miami, including three starts. Milone has an 11.37 ERA in his first two starts with the Braves.