ATLANTA (Interstat) — On a cool Wednesday evening at Truist Park, the Atlanta Braves’ offense finally provided Chris Sale the support his pitching has deserved, and the result was a methodical 5-1 victory over the Athletics to close a successful opening homestand.

Sale, the veteran left-hander, was again the story on the mound, but the story of the game was the bat of catcher Drake Baldwin. The young backstop delivered two critical two-out hits, driving in all four of Atlanta’s early runs to power the Braves to their fourth win in six games. The Athletics, meanwhile, continued to scuffle, dropping their fifth contest in six tries to start the 2026 campaign.

Sale (2-0) was dominant, allowing just one hit over six sterling innings. That lone hit, however, was a loud one—a solo home run by Shea Langeliers to left field in the top of the fourth inning. It momentarily cut Atlanta’s lead to 2-1 and represented the only blemish on Sale’s line. He walked three and struck out three, efficiently navigating the lineup on a afternoon where he never faced serious jeopardy.

The Braves’ offense, which had been inconsistent during the first five games, struck for Sale in the bottom of the second against Athletics starter Luis Severino (0-1). After Severino loaded the bases with two outs via a walk to Ozzie Albies, a single by Dominic Smith, and another walk to Ronald Acuña Jr., Baldwin stepped in. On a 1-2 pitch, Baldwin lined a single to left field, scoring Albies and Smith to give Atlanta a 2-0 lead.

The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the bottom of the fourth, immediately after Langeliers’ homer had brought within a run. The Braves responded emphatically to snuff out any momentum. Smith led off with a single, and Mauricio Dubón followed with another, putting two on with one out. After Acuña Jr. flew out, Baldwin again came to the plate with two outs, this time facing reliever Elvis Alvarado.

In an epic nine-pitch at-bat, Baldwin fouled off four consecutive full-count pitches before lashing a double to the gap in left-center field, clearing the bases and stretching the lead to 4-1. Matt Olson followed with an RBI single to score Baldwin, capping the three-run inning and effectively putting the game out of reach at 5-1.

From there, the Braves’ bullpen took over. Robert Suarez, Dylan Lee, and Raisel Iglesias each worked a scoreless inning, allowing one single apiece but preserving the comfortable lead. Oakland’s relievers, Hogan Harris and Luis Medina, provided solid work in keeping the Braves off the board after the fourth, but the Athletics’ offense could not mount a challenge. Their best late opportunity came in the ninth when Jacob Wilson doubled with one out, but Iglesias struck out Jeff McNeil and got Langeliers to pop out to end the game.

The victory gave Atlanta a series win after splitting the first two games of the set with Oakland. The Braves now head west for a lengthy road trip, beginning a four-game series in Arizona on Thursday. The Athletics, after a 1-5 start, continue their difficult opening stretch with a return home to face the Houston Astros on Friday.

Baldwin finished 2-for-3 with a walk and four RBIs, the clear offensive catalyst. Langeliers was the lone bright spot for Oakland, going 2-for-4 with his fifth home run of the young season. Severino took the loss, charged with four runs on four hits over 3 1/3 innings, walking five and striking out seven.

The game time was 2 hours, 26 minutes, and was played before an announced crowd of 27,568 at Truist Park in Sandy Springs, Georgia.