Saturday, 4 a.m.
It was supposed to be a baseball game. Instead, what fans saw was the Atlanta Braves taking batting practice,
The Braves scalded the Rays, 7-3, by jumping on them early and coasting to the win. The Braves got five straight hits in the first inning, ending all the suspense there might have been.
The game was over shortly after the national anthem.
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In that first inning, the Braves finished with three singles, two doubles, a three-run homer (Marcell Ozuna), five runs and an error. The Braves added two more runs in the second, chasing starter Zack Littell after two innings.
Littell, 2-5, gave up eight hits and six earned runs.
The Braves, meanwhile, were fine with Chris Sale. Sale gave up three hits and a run in his first inning, but he allowed just two runs and five hits through seven innings. Sale is 9-2 on the season.
Jose Siri had two doubles for the Rays. Richie Palacios had a single and a double.
The teams play again today at 4:10 p.m. Ryan Pepiot will start for the Rays against ex-Ray Charlie Morton.