After escaping first-inning trouble, Braves knuckleballer R.A. Dickey found his groove and shut down 18 of the final 21 batters he faced in the Braves’ 3-1 victory over the Brewers on Saturday afternoon at SunTrust Park.

The Braves won their fourth straight, as Dickey was masterful on the mound. He scattered five hits and issued one walk, while striking out six batters in seven innings. According to Statcast™, Dickey threw 92 knuckleballs and registered 16 called strikes.
“[The knuckleball] wasn’t as good as the movement that I had the last three games, but I had a good enough one to change speeds,” Dickey said. “It was in the strike zone a large percentage of the night, and those things add up to a pretty good outing.”
Dickey got all the run support he needed on Brandon Phillips’ go-ahead two-run homer in the third inning. Phillips went deep for the third straight game, besting Brewers starter Matt Garza, who went six innings and allowed three runs.
Garza has dropped four of his last five decisions, and he owns a 6.91 ERA in those outings. He didn’t get much help from his offense, as the Brewers struck out 10 times. They lead the National League with 738 strikeouts.
The Brewers’ trio of Domingo Santana, Eric Thames and Travis Shaw came into the game with 40 home runs. However, those three were neutralized by Dickey and combined to go 2-for-11 with four strikeouts.
“We didn’t have that many swings and misses the first time through the lineup,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “As we went through the lineup, the swings and misses started increasing, so I think [Dickey] got a better feel for making it move, and we didn’t have that many answers.”
The Brewers loaded the bases in the first inning with two singles and a walk, but they were unable to capitalize with runners in scoring position. Dickey pitched around an RBI fielder’s choice from Hernan Perez and a balk by striking out Jett Bandy to end the frame. The Brewers could only get one more runner in scoring position for the remainder of the game.
“I thought in the first he was pretty good, but he just kind of hit some bats,” Braves catcher Tyler Flowers said. “After that, he did a good job keeping it clean and getting some strikes.”
The Braves’ bullpen didn’t allow a run after Dickey departed after seven innings. The combination of Jose Ramirez, Sam Freeman and Jim Johnson shut the door on a Brewers comeback attempt. The bullpen pitched around a hit and a walk, fanning four to end the game.
“Our whole bullpen has been really good,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “They are picking up each other and keeping us in games to allow us chances.”
Phillips has hit six of his seven home runs at SunTrust Park after never hitting a homer in his home state. Prior to this year, Phillips had only 10 extra-base hits in Atlanta — all doubles — at Turner Field in 34 career games.
Julio Teheran takes the mound to wrap the three-game set at 12:35 p.m. CT on Sunday. Teheran has allowed eight runs (four earned) in his last three home starts.

The Nashville Sounds (36-38) matched the Oklahoma City Dodgers with six hits Saturday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, but failed to convert chances as the home team took the victory, 4-1.

Sounds centerfielder Jaff Decker, 2-for-4, provided the team’s lone run in the game with a solo home run in the fifth off Oklahoma City starter Wilmer Font (6-4).

Opposite Font was right-handed pitcher Ben Bracewell (0-1) manning the bump for Nashville in his Triple-A debut. The 26-year-old used 74 pitches to collect four strikeouts over four innings and walk three.

Bracewell’s final inning, which began with a leadoff walk followed by a fielding error by Joey Wendle, saw three runs cross, though unearned. With runners on the corners, Bracewell struck out Trayce Thompson, but O’Koyea Dickson connected on an RBI double off the wall in right-center field to plate the game’s first run. Baserunner Willie Calhoun tried to also score on the play but was gunned down by Mark Canha from right field.

With two outs in the fourth, the Dodgers added a pair of runs: one from Kyle Farmer’s RBI-single, the other on a wild pitch from Bracewell with a runner on third.

The Dodgers picked up one final run in the eighth inning when Brett Eibner knocked a double to left-center field, scoring Dickson, who had reached base on balls.

Sounds reliever Simon Castro picked up two scoreless innings of relief, holding OKC to one hit while fanning four. Patrick Schuster picked things up in the seventh to pitch 1.1 inning scoreless, before Aaron Kurcz rounded out the night, allowing the Eibner RBI-double.

The final game of the four-game series is scheduled for Sunday evening in Oklahoma City. Right-hander Corey Walter (2-2, 3.15) will start for Nashville against right-hander Justin Masterson (5-4, 4.16) for Oklahoma City. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

The 2017 season is the Sounds’ 40th in franchise history and their third as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.

Given a chance to extend their recent success against a division leader, the Braves got five solid innings from Mike Foltynewicz to claim a 5-4 win Friday night over the National League Central-leading Brewers at SunTrust Park.

The Braves, who have won six of their past seven and eight of 11, won on the strength of two extra-base hits from Brandon Phillips (including a homer), Dansby Swanson’s decisive two-out RBI single in the seventh and a couple of game-saving gems in the final two innings.

“It’s fun to watch these guys play,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said after his team claimed its fourth one-run win within a span of seven games. “If I wasn’t here in my capacity, I’d pay to watch these guys play. They’re fun to watch. They leave it out there. They play a hard 27 [outs]. They never quit. Why would you not want to come watch these guys play?”
With one out in the top of the eighth, Milwaukee shortstop Orlando Arcia slugged a two-run double off Atlanta reliever Jose Ramirez, bringing the Brewers within one run, before the top of the eighth inning ended with third baseman Johan Camargo turning a nifty double play.
Foltynewicz was effectively wild, benefitting from a wide strike zone and catcher Tyler Flowers’ framing abilities. The Braves right-hander recorded nine strikeouts and allowed one run while totaling 104 pitches over five rain-soaked innings. Milwaukee’s lone run through the first six innings came courtesy of Keon Broxton’s fourth-inning home run. The solo shot to center had a 104.7 mph exit velocity and traveled 432 feet — the fourth longest homer the young outfielder has hit in his career.
Brewers right-hander Jimmy Nelson collected eight strikeouts in five innings of work, but yielded four runs on six hits and issued three walks.
“I was able to execute some good two-strike pitches,” Nelson said. “It seemed like there was quite a few sequences where me and [catcher Manny Pina] were on the same page with, especially with elevating the fastball. But at the same time there’s a few guys that got two-strike hits. They fouled off some tough pitches until they really got something they could do something with.”
With the Braves’ regular closer, Jim Johnson, having pitched the previous two nights, Snitker handed a ninth-inning lead to Arodys Vizcaino, who promptly allowed a leadoff double to Eric Thames. Domingo Santana followed with a sharp grounder to short, which Swanson snared, before spinning and quickly throwing to third base, where Camargo applied the tag just ahead of Thames’ arrival. Swanson then made a lunging catch to snare a liner off the bat of Pina and end the game.
“He tried to win a game there and we did,” Snitker said of Swanson’s decision to throw to third base. “If he doesn’t make that play, we’re tied and we’re not sitting here talking right now.”
With two on and one out in the eighth inning, Camargo showed why the Braves positioned him at third base when he dove to his right to grab Jesus Aguilar’s hot shot down the line. He leapt to his feet, fired to Phillips at second, who completed the turn and the double play, springing Ramirez from the jam and preserving the Braves’ lead.
“He’s fun to play next to just with the things he can do,” Swanson said of Camargo. “You see his arm talent and just the ability to put the barrel on the ball from both sides of the plate. He’s definitely fun to have around and somebody you’re confident in, in a lot of situations.”
Foltynewicz recorded 26 called strikes, bettering his previous career-best total of 23.
R.A. Dickey will take the mound when this three-game series resumes Saturday night. Dickey has allowed one run or less and lasted at least seven innings in two of his past three starts.

The Nashville Sounds finished on the wrong side of a 4-2 contest Friday night against the Oklahoma City Dodgers at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.
The loss drops the Sounds’ record to 36-37, below .500 for the first time since May 20 when they were 19-20 after a loss to Sacramento.
Following Ryan Lavarnway’s sacrifice fly in the eighth, the Sounds loaded the bases with two outs; but the team’s final rally ended on a strikeout to outfielder Kenny Wilson.
At the start, the Dodgers struck first in the home half of the first inning with a Willie Calhoun sacrifice-fly to score former Sound Max Muncy. The Sounds answered in the next inning by stringing together a pair of two-out doubles by Mark Canha and Matt McBride; both 1-for-3.
Oklahoma City catcher Bobby Wilson hit a home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to break the 1-1 tie and deliver the go-ahead run against Sounds starter Zach Neal (3.47, 1-3), who took the loss, allowing two earned runs on six hits through five innings of work, striking out two and walking one.
Reliever Tucker Healy worked out of a jam in the sixth inning after allowing a bunt single to Calhoun and walking Trayce Thompson to put two on and none out. But the right-hander settled in to set down the next three batters: line out, strikeout, ground out; and keep it a one-run game.
The Dodgers added two runs in the seventh off Sounds reliever Patrick Schuster, who allowed two hits and a walk to load the bases for Calhoun, who connected on an RBI-infield single to third base. A ground out followed, scoring the home team’s final run. Pitcher Jake Sanchez worked the remaining 1.2 scoreless innings for Nashville, collecting three strikeouts along the way.
Offensively, Sounds designated hitter Renato Nunez and infielder Joey Wendle each finished 2-for-4.
Game three of the four-game series is scheduled for Saturday night in Oklahoma City. Right-hander Ben Bracewell is slated to make his Triple-A debut for Nashville against right-hander Wilmer Font (5-4, 3.84) for Oklahoma City. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.