CHICAGO -- Nobody expected 5-foot-9 Ozzie Albies to be among the major league home run leaders. Same with the Atlanta Braves' rise to the top of the NL East.
They've made a believer of Cubs manager Joe Maddon.
Albies hit a leadoff drive for his 13th homer, Jose Bautista connected for a three-run shot and the Braves held off Chicago 6-5 on Monday.
Julio Teheran (4-1) pitched six innings and Tyler Flowers hit his first homer this season as NL-leading Atlanta (25-15) won for the sixth time in seven games. The Braves moved 10 games over .500 for the first time since July 28, 2014.
"It's one of those things because the names aren't big -- they're going to be big names in a couple years," Maddon said. "They'll be more easily identifiable. They have some really great talent there. I'm a big fan."
A.J. Minter worked a shaky ninth inning for his second save in the makeup of an April 15 rainout. Minter hit Ian Happ to force in a run with two out, but Kris Bryant lined out to left to end the game.
Chicago closed out a 5-2 homestand with its second consecutive loss. Bryant and Albert Almora Jr. each hit a two-run home run, but Jose Quintana (4-3) allowed all three Atlanta homers after pitching six sparkling innings against Miami in his previous start.
The 21-year-old Albies drove Quintana's second pitch the opposite way into the bleachers in right for his fourth career leadoff homer. The rookie second baseman tied Manny Machado, Mookie Betts and Bryce Harper for the major league lead in homers. He also doubled and singled.
"A lot of quality at-bats throughout the whole ballgame, especially against Quintana," Flowers said. "Right out of the gate, too. It's always nice to get him on the ropes a little bit, get a couple runs across and give Julio something to work with."
Almora went deep in the second, and Bryant connected in the third, but the Cubs were unable to keep up with the slugging Braves.
Flowers, Quintana's former batterymate with the Chicago White Sox, hit a two-run shot in the third, a towering drive over the wall in left-center. Bautista lifted Atlanta to a 6-4 lead in the fifth, belting a drive to left for his second homer since joining the club on May 4.
Teheran allowed four runs and four hits, struck out one and walked three. The 27-year-old right-hander had a scoreless streak of 16 2/3 innings before Almora's second homer of the season.
Sam Freeman replaced Teheran and got one out before departing with runners on first and second. Shane Carle then came in and retired each of his five batters while extending his scoreless streak to 13 innings.
Quintana was tagged for six runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings against a Braves team that has been feasting on left-handed pitching. Atlanta is 8-3 against lefty starters.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
MARINERS 1, TWINS 0 First baseman Logan Morrison’s throwing error in the eighth inning accounted for the game’s only run as visiting Seattle defeated Minnesota. Dee Gordon led off the eighth with a double against reliever Trevor Hildenberger (1-1). Jean Segura laid down a sacrifice bunt, and Morrison threw the ball into right field, allowing Gordon to score. James Pazos (1-0) got the win in relief of starter Wade LeBlanc, who tossed six scoreless innings.
TIGERS 6, INDIANS 3 Niko Goodrum hit two home runs and drove in five runs, and host Detroit beat Cleveland. Goodrum hit a two-run shot in the fourth inning and a three-run home run in the eighth, and for the second consecutive day, the Tigers won despite fielding a patchwork lineup against Carlos Carrasco.
RAYS 2, ROYALS 1 Adeiny Hechavarria danced around catcher Salvador Perez with an inventive slide at home plate to score the go-ahead run, and visiting Tampa Bay beat Kansas City 2-1. Hechavarria dashed home on Matt Duffy’s single to right field in the sixth inning, sidestepped Perez to the right, then dove back toward the plate. Hechavarria faked toward the dish with his right hand, then jabbed his left hand past Perez’s outstretched glove to tag the plate. Umpire Rob Drake immediately signaled him safe.
ATHLETICS 6, RED SOX 5 Sean Manaea beat the Boston Red Sox again in his first outing against them since pitching a no-hitter, and Khris Davis hit one of three home runs by visiting Oakland over Boston. Matt Joyce and Matt Olson also went deep for the A’s.
Sports on 05/15/2018