ATLANTA — R.A. Dickey knew he was close, even if the results didn't show it.
He was right.
Dickey threw seven scoreless innings in his strongest outing of the season, Matt Adams hit another homer and the Atlanta Braves sent the San Francisco Giants to their seventh straight loss, a 9-0 rout Monday night.
The 42-year-old Dickey (5-5) escaped a jam in the first but wound up surrendering just three hits. The knuckleballer retired 16 of the last 17 hitters he faced, including 13 in a row.
"You know it's good when they're swinging and missing," Dickey said.