Update #2 (4:21 PM ET): Logan Forsythe and Cody Bellinger flied out, but Chris Taylor broke up the no-hit bid with a well-struck single to left field past third baseman Johan Camargo. Manager Brian Snitker took Newcomb out of the game at that point, as the lefty had thrown 134 pitches. Dan Winker came in. Taylor took second base on defensive indifference, then scored on a Machado single, ending the shutout. Winkler got Matt Kemp to ground out to end the game.
Newcomb’s final line: 8 2/3 innings, one hit, one earned run, one walk, eight strikeouts. He got the win, improving to 10-5 with a 3.23 ERA.
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Update (3:56 PM ET): Newcomb got Joc Pederson and Yasmani Grandal to ground out, then struck out Yasiel Puig to escape the eighth with the no-hitter intact. He’s now at eight strikeouts with 118 pitches on the ledger. Three outs to go.
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Braves starter Sean Newcomb has tossed seven no-hit innings against the Dodgers on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta. The lefty has walked one and struck out seven on 100 pitches.
The Braves’ offense has provided Newcomb four runs of support. Nick Markakis and Kurt Suzuki each hit RBI doubles in the bottom of the first inning and Markakis followed up with a two-run homer in the third.
Newcomb, 25, entered Sunday’s action brandishing a 9-5 record with a 3.41 ERA and a 102/56 K/BB ratio in 111 innings across 20 starts.
If Newcomb is able to keep the Dodgers hitless over the next two innings, he will become the first Brave to toss a no-no since Kent Mercker on April 8, 1994 against... the Dodgers. The Dodgers haven’t been no-hit since the Cubs’ Jake Arrieta accomplished the feat on August 30, 2015. While there have been a lot of close calls when it comes to no-hitters this season, we’ve “only” seen three: from Sean Manaea and James Paxton, and a combined no-hitter from the Dodgers’ Walker Buehler, Tony Cingrani, Yimi Garcia, and Adam Liberatore.
We will keep you updated as Newcomb tries to keep the Dodgers at bay over the final two frames.