ATLANTA — For an encore to his three-homer Friday night in the series opener against the reigning World Series champions, Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud went deep again in Saturday's matchup with the Texas Rangers.
And a day after Atlanta starter Chris Sale had a strong outing but shifted the attention in his postgame interview from his pitching to his battery mate's exploits with the bat, d'Arnaud's comments made clear that he appreciates what the guys on the mound are doing for the Braves.
Charlie Morton combined with three relievers on a five-hitter Saturday as the Braves beat the Rangers 5-2 for their sixth straight win.
D'Arnaud had driven in six runs with three homers, including a grand slam, in the Braves' 8-3 win on Friday night. This time, he went 1-for-2 with two walks, hitting a two-run homer off right-handed reliever Austin Pruitt in the eighth.
Led by the strong starts from the left-handed Sale and the right-handed Morton, the Braves, who are the six-time reigning National League East champions and currently sit atop the division standings, clinched a series win in the interleague matchup with the Rangers, who lead the American League West.
"They kind of set the tone for this homestand," d'Arnaud said of Sale and Morton. "Two guys who want the ball for the last out of the World Series to start against the previous World Series champions. I think they were ready to go, and that showed today and yesterday."
Morton (2-0) allowed two runs on four hits and two walks in six innings. Joe Jiménez, A.J. Minter and Raisel Iglesias each pitched a scoreless inning, and Iglesias earned his sixth save in as many chances this season.
Luis Guillorme had a run-scoring double and Matt Olson's sacrifice fly broke a 2-2 tie in Atlanta's three-run second.
Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi (1-2) allowed three runs, five hits and six walks in 5 1/3 innings. He bemoaned his inability to protect an early 2-0 lead in the matchup against Morton.
"We had the lead, and you can't give a guy like that another opportunity," Eovaldi said of the 40-year-old Morton, who helped the Braves win the World Series in 2021 after closing out the 2017 Fall Classic for the Houston Astros.
Sale, 35, helped the Boston Red Sox win the 2018 World Series. On Friday night, after allowing three runs and five hits in seven innings, he had said of his pitching: "To be honest, nobody cares. We're here to talk about one thing, and one thing only. Tonight was about Travis, and that was nothing short of electric."
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said before Saturday's game that he planned a surprise out of the bullpen. It was right-hander Jon Gray, who has started four games this season and entered in relief of Eovaldi in the sixth.
Gray, who had worked in relief in only one of 209 regular-season appearances in his MLB career, recorded two strikeouts to strand two runners in the sixth before adding two more strikeouts in a perfect seventh.
Ronald Acuña Jr. led off the game with an infield single. After a bunt single by Michael Harris II, a double steal gave Acuña 189 career steals, pulling him even with Rafael Furcal for the Atlanta record.
The Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966. Including the team's years in Boston and Milwaukee, Acuña ranks 11th in franchise history. Herman Long had a franchise-record 434 steals for the Boston Braves from 1890-1902.
Harris had three hits.
Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe was held without a hit in his return from the injured list after missing the first 20 games of the season because of a right oblique strain.
Travis Jankowski made a leaping catch of Austin Riley's drive at the top of the wall in center field in the eighth.
The three-game series wraps up Sunday night.
Braves rookie right-hander Darius Vines (0-0, 1.93) will make his second start of the season and fourth of his career. Texas will counter with right-hander Michael Lorenzen (1-0, 0.00), who is 1-1 with a 7.52 ERA in 12 career games (two starts) against Atlanta.