The Braves rallied to spoil Wily Peralta’s homecoming party.
In his first big league start since he was demoted to the Minors in June, Peralta held Atlanta scoreless on two hits through six scoreless innings, before the Braves knocked him out of the game with a two-run seventh. Atlanta held on for a 2-1 win at Miller Park on Tuesday.
Ryan Braun’s fourth-inning home run off Braves starter Tyrell Jenkins gave Peralta a lead, and the big right-hander held long enough to throw his first pitches in a seventh inning all season. He did not record an out in the inning, however. Freddie Freeman walked before Matt Kemp and Nick Markakis knocked successive singles to tie the game at 1. Reliever Michael Blazek took over for Peralta and surrendered another run-scoring single, to Adonis Garcia, for a 2-1 Braves lead.
Jenkins allowed one run on three hits in six innings for the second straight start — and this time was rewarded with a win when closer Mauricio Cabrera touched 103 mph en route to his third save. The Braves have won four straight games and six of their last seven.
The Brewers have lost three games in a row and five of their last six.
After delivering a pair of key extra-base hits in Monday’s series-opening win, Markakis extended his recent success with his game-tying single — his seventh hit within his past 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position. The veteran right fielder has batted .353 (30-for-85) since the All-Star break and .410 (16-for-39) over his past 11 games. .
Every time Peralta found trouble in the early innings, a defender was there to bail him out. When Ender Inciarte walked on the game’s first four pitches, catcher Manny Pina threw him out trying to steal second. When Garcia hit a grounder up the middle in the second, Brewers second baseman Hernan Perez made a terrific pick and throw to first. After Peralta threw away Jenkins’ sacrifice bunt in the third, Pina picked off Anthony Recker at second base. And when Erick Aybar hit an infield single in the fourth for the Braves’ first hit, then took off from first on a pitch in the dirt, Pina was there once again. He threw to shortstop Orlando Arcia, who started a rundown that ended with 245-pound first baseman Chris Carter tagging — and tackling — Aybar near second base.
The Braves and Brewers continue the series on Wednesday night in Milwaukee. First pitch is set for 7:10 PM CT and THunder Radio will have the broadcast beginning at 6 PM on the Braves Radio Network.
