ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — All-Star Spencer Strider struck out 11 and won his seventh straight decision, a 6-1 victory over the slumping Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night that gave the majors-leading Atlanta Braves their 20th victory in 22 games.
Strider (11-2) joined Tampa Bay's Shane McClanahan and Arizona's Zac Gallen as the only 11-game winners in the majors. He improved to 7-0 over his last eight starts and boosted his majors-leading strikeout total to 166.
Sean Murphy homered for the third straight game, a career best for Atlanta's All-Star catcher.