It was his last at-bat of the month with a chance to break a franchise record held by none other than Hall of Fame legend Hank Aaron. Sunday afternoon in dramatic style, Austin Riley delivered to give the Braves a walk-off 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks at Truist Park – Atlanta earning a sweep of the series.

There was no score in the bottom of the 9th inning when Matt Olson got on base with a single. Facing former Brave Mark Melancon, Riley then ripped a double to the right-centerfield gap to chase home Olson.

Riley posted 26 extra-base hits for July to top Aaron’s mark of 25 (July 1961). That’s a new record for extra-base hits in any month in Braves’ history. Riley began Sunday trailing Aaron by one, but recorded doubles in the 2nd and 9th innings.

In the team picture, the Braves got a dominant performance from Max Fried who went seven scoreless innings on the mound. That matched Arizona’s Merrill Kelly, who also went seven scoreless before both teams’ bullpens took over.

The Braves are now a season-best 21 games over .500 at 62-41. Atlanta keeps pace with the Mets, who swept the Marlins over the weekend. New York’s NL East lead remains three games.

The Braves have Monday off before a two-game series against the Phillies at Truist Park Tuesday and Wednesday. Then it’s a big series in New York – five games between the Braves and Mets Thursday through Sunday.

There is also the MLB trading deadline that the baseball world is focused on – arriving 6 p.m. Tuesday.

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