Grant Holmes No-Hit Bid Continues Dominant Run by Braves Pitching Staff

Grant Holmes looked as sharp as ever during the Atlanta Braves' 2-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. He didn't receive the win, but certainly did what he could to position his team to get over the top.

Holmes delivered 5 1/3 no-hit innings before allowing a single to Ketel Marte. He got into some trouble in his sixth and final inning of work, but he was able to induce a double play and retire the side.

He got the job done while facing a formidable opponent in Eduardo Rodriguez, who gave the Diamondbacks seven shutout innings. It was Holmes' second start in a regular-season game since he went down with a partially torn UCL in late July of last season. In his first start, the story was that he managed to stay poised. This time around, he was able to mostly cruise.

Dylan Lee, Robert Suarez and Raisel Iglesias each pitched a scoreless inning to net the Braves their third shutout of the season. Suarez earned the win, while Iglesias picked up his first save of the season.

Diamondbacks' pitching was able to match the Braves up until the top of the ninth inning, when the Braves ended the scoreless bout. Ozzie Albies took Paul Sewald deep down the right field line, just staying inside the foul pole to get the Braves on the board. Matt Olson followed right behind with a solo blast of his own.

In all six wins this season, the Braves have held opponents to two runs or fewer each time. That consistency out of the gate after the constant shuffling of the deck they had last season, along with the injuries sustained recently, is more than they ever could have asked for.

As a whole, the Braves' pitching staff has a National League-leading 1.75 ERA, with a 0.86 WHIP and a .175 batting average against. Their combined WHIP is the lowest in the majors, and the only team WHIP below 1.00. They've managed to do this without necessarily missing the most bats. They're 19th in the majors in strikeouts, but they're getting the more important job done: getting outs.

The Braves look to pick up another series win on Saturday when they get set for another game in Arizona. Bryce Elder will be on the mound. First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. EDT (4:15 p.m. in Arizona).