Matt Olson, Dominic Smith, and Mauricio Dubon hit solo homers, Reynaldo Lopez gave up one run over five innings, and the Atlanta Braves coasted to a 17-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series.
The Braves broke it open with an eight-run fifth, sending 12 batters to the plate to take a 10-1 lead. Austin Riley and Michael Harris II had two-run doubles and Ozzie Albies brought home two more with a single.
It was a frustrating inning for the D-backs, partly thanks to technology. Ryne Nelson walked three batters, including Ronald Acuna Jr., which forced in a run. Nelson had a potential strike three to Albies overturned by an ABS challenge, turning it into a walk. A potential inning-ending double play was also overturned when Drake Baldwin was ruled safe at first.
On top of that, 10-time Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado made a costly error, leading to five unearned runs for Nelson.
Lopez (1-0) gave up four hits and a walk while striking out three. Olson finished with three hits and three RBIs. Arizona had its three-game winning streak snapped. D-backs catcher James McCann pitched the ninth inning, giving up five runs on seven hits, including a two-run homer to Jorge Mateo.
The teams continue the series Friday night.