ATLANTA -- The Giants entered Wednesday having scored at least three runs in 12 straight games, tied with the Brewers for the longest active streak in the Majors, but they couldn¡¯t keep that run of production going against a resurgent Chris Sale.

San Francisco mustered only three hits against the veteran left-hander in a 3-1 loss to the Braves, which evened this three-game series at Truist Park.

Sale struck out nine and didn¡¯t allow a hit until Curt Casali lined a two-out single to right-center field in the fifth inning. The Giants pushed across their lone run in the sixth, when Jorge Soler doubled and scored on Matt Chapman¡¯s two-out RBI double just inside the left-field foul line. Chapman advanced to third on a wild pitch, but Sale coaxed an inning-ending groundout from Luis Matos on his 103rd and final pitch of the night.

¡°That was as close to vintage Chris Sale that I¡¯ve seen,¡± Casali said. ¡°I think the past couple of years, he¡¯s definitely using more fastballs than he has. He was throwing a lot of sliders for strikes. When it¡¯s moving that much, it¡¯s tough to commit to it when you know that you have to guard against 96 [mph]. The last couple of years, it¡¯s been 92, 93, so it¡¯s a more comfortable feeling. But sometimes you¡¯ve just got to flip your hip open to get to that 96 now. If he throws the wrong pitch, then you¡¯re kind of in a bad position. We¡¯ve got to tip our hat to him. He¡¯s pitched well all year, and he continued to do that tonight.¡±

The 35-year-old Sale, who lowered his ERA to 2.71 while joining the Royals¡¯ Seth Lugo as the only 11-game winners in the Majors this year, outdueled Giants starter Jordan Hicks, who gave up three runs on eight hits over five innings. Hicks remains winless since May 19, going 0-4 with a 5.01 ERA over his last eight starts, though he kept the Giants within striking distance on Wednesday, striking out six and racking up 17 swinging strikes.

¡°For me, it¡¯s just been about two-out execution the past few games,¡± Hicks said. ¡°I¡¯ve given up six runs on two-out rallies. Those later innings, I just need to find a way to bear down and get that third out after two quick ones. I think that¡¯s the biggest thing.¡±

The Braves got on the board behind Adam Duvall¡¯s RBI double in the second inning, though Matos helped scuttle another rally in the third by making a tumbling catch on Austin Riley¡¯s sinking liner to left field.

Still, Riley came back to deliver the decisive hit of the night in the fifth, driving a first-pitch sinker from Hicks off the right-field wall for a two-out, two-run double that extended the Braves¡¯ lead to 3-0.

¡°They hit non-executed pitches today,¡± Casali said. ¡°I thought [Hicks] threw well. I thought he was competing really well. Sometimes it¡¯s just a matter of a couple of runs. When the other guy is dominating like that and you can¡¯t get anything going, it¡¯s kind of a tough spot to be in.¡±

Atlanta nearly kept the rally going after Riley attempted to score from second on Travis d¡¯Arnaud¡¯s subsequent single to right field. Austin Slater made a strong throw to the plate, but home plate umpire Ryan Additon initially ruled that Riley slid in ahead of Casali¡¯s swiping tag. Still, the call was overturned following a successful challenge from the Giants, taking a run off the board for the Braves and ending the inning.

Even with the defensive assist, the Giants¡¯ bats couldn¡¯t make up the deficit once they finally forced Sale out of the game. They brought the tying run to the plate after Chapman reached on a one-out single in the ninth, but Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias induced a flyout from Matos and struck out Brett Wisely to hand the Giants only their third loss in their last nine games.

Hicks is now up to 90 2/3 innings over 18 starts this year, an ongoing career high, though he¡¯s been doing more conditioning in between outings to make sure he can continue to handle the workload in his first full year as a starter. The 27-year-old right-hander could be a candidate to shift to the bullpen at some point in the second half, but the Giants will need him to continue to hold down a rotation spot until Kyle Harrison, Blake Snell, Robbie Ray and Alex Cobb return from the injured list.

¡°Right now, I¡¯m not really thinking about it, to be honest,¡± Hicks said last week. ¡°I probably won¡¯t even think about it until I get to 115 to 120 and then we¡¯ll start having some serious conversations about it, I¡¯m sure. But for now, I just want to keep going out there and battling. I¡¯m trying to get better every outing.¡±