Spencer Schwellenbach shuts down Tigers for 1st MLB victory as Braves win 2-1

ATLANTA -- Spencer Schwellenbach earned his first major league win and Ozzie Albies delivered a key hit for the second straight game as the Atlanta Braves downed the Detroit Tigers 2-1 on Tuesday night.

The Braves also beat the Tigers 2-1 on Monday in the series opener.

Schwellenbach (1-2) had his best outing since being called up from the minors on May 29, allowing one run and three hits over six innings. He struck out seven, walked two and hit two batters with pitches.

“I was back in the clubhouse just watching,” Schwellenbach said about the finish. “I felt like it was taking forever. I have a lot of trust in those guys in the bullpen.”

Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias earned his 18th save in 20 chances after scoreless setup innings by Pierce Johnson and Joe Jiménez.

“Another great job by the bullpen, just like it was last night,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Pierce had a couple nights off, Joe was probably better than he was last night. He’s throwing the ball so good and Iggy had a day under his belt, so they were ready to go and they did a great job.”

Schwellenbach mixed five different pitches and only allowed one Tigers baserunner to reach second in the first five innings.

“When you can throw the ball over with all your pitches, it is pretty impressive,” Snitker said. “His stuff was really good again tonight.”

Albies, who hit a tiebreaking homer Monday, was 1 for 4 with an RBI triple and a run scored as the Braves won for the fifth time in six games. Marcell Ozuna also went 1 for 4 with an RBI.

Riley Greene scored and Gio Urshela had an RBI single for the Tigers, who have lost nine of 12.

Tigers starter Casey Mize (1-5) lasted four innings. He battled back from a bumpy first and gave up two runs on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts. The top pick in the 2018 amateur draft missed all of 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery and a back operation.

“The three two-strike hits in the first were tough on him, but he did a good job collecting himself and getting back into it,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.

The Braves started fast, scoring two runs before the Tigers got an out. Jarred Kelenic led off the first with a single, and Albies followed with a triple down the right-field line that gave the Braves a 1-0 lead. Ozuna then got his NL-best 63rd RBI with a single to left field, scoring Albies.

The Tigers got on the board in the sixth when Greene led off with a triple to right-center that bounced just in front of Kelenic. One out later, Urshela's single to right field brought in Greene.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: SS Javier Báez (lumbar spine inflammation) initiated light hitting drills. ... RHP Alex Faedo (right hip inflammation) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

The teams wrap up the three-game series with Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal (8-2, 2.20 ERA) facing Reynaldo López (4-2, 1.69) on Wednesday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb