ATLANTA, May 22 (UPI) — Evan Gattis hit a grand slam home run to close a five-run fourth inning for Atlanta Wednesday in the Braves’ 8-3 interleague win over Minnesota.
It was the sixth consecutive win for the Braves while Minnesota is going the other way with an eight-game losing streak.
Gattis hit his 10th homer of the year while Ramiro Pena and B.J. Upton hit solo home runs for Atlanta, which built an 8-0 lead though four innings to make a winner of Paul Maholm (6-4). All the runs came against Minnesota starter Vance Worley (1-5), who gave up 10 hits and eight runs — all earned — in 3 2/3 innings.
Maholm lasted 7 1/3 innings, scattering seven hits and one unearned run while walking one and striking out four.
Justin Morneau singled in a run after Eduardo Escobar reached on an error in the sixth for the lone run against Maholm. The other Twins’ runs came on ninth-inning home runs by Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia.
Atlanta started early against Worley, scoring in the first on a Jason Heyward single and adding two runs in the second when Pena hit his home run and Heyward scored on a Chris Johnson base hit.
Upton led off the fourth with a home run. Jordan Schafer reached on a bunt single and, with two outs, Heyward singled and Freddie Freeman walked to load the bases. Gattis then punched a shot the other way, getting the ball into the seats near the right-field foul pole.
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