Matt Kemp hit three home runs in a game for the first time in his career, and the Braves continued to mash the ball, landing an 11-3 victory over Milwaukee on Saturday. Dansby Swanson also homered, and the Braves churned out 20 hits to win their fourth straight game. Atlanta has scored 36 runs in that stretch.
Tyler Flowers notched four hits for the Braves, and each of Atlanta’s 3-4-5 hitters came away with three hits apiece.
“Some guys have started off pretty slow, but guys are working their butts off trying to get everything going,” Kemp said. “One through nine, even the pitchers, we’ve got some great hitters. Some guys start out slow, some guys start off fast. Hopefully coming up now, everybody starts clicking at the same time.”
Jaime Garcia (1-1) continued his long-standing success against the Brewers, allowing two earned runs on three hits in six innings. He did walk five batters and hit another, but he kept his career ERA against Milwaukee at 2.88 and upped his record to 12-6 vs. the Brewers.
“He did a great job of limiting damage,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Jaime just kept pitching and kept pitching. He got the double play to get us out of that big first inning.”
Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson struggled for a third straight start, allowing five runs on 11 hits (tying a career high) in five innings. After two excellent starts to begin 2017, Nelson has allowed 15 earned runs in 15 2/3 innings.
“I’m not second guessing myself or my mentality coming into this year at all,” Nelson said, noting that his emphasis coming into the year was pitching to contact and limiting walks. “I honestly feel like I’m at peace where I’m at. I did everything I can do in the offseason physically. My main focus is just executing pitches, and everything else is out of my control.”
For the second straight night, the Braves tacked on six runs against the Brewers’ bullpen.
“They’re swinging the bat well,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said of the Braves. “They finished their series in New York swinging the bats well. … We’re catching a team that’s really hot right now.”
A two-out passed ball by Brewers catcher Manny Pina had larger consequences than just one run, as Ender Inciarte scampered home to make it 3-1 in the fifth. No longer compelled to stay near the bag at third base, Milwaukee’s Travis Shaw shifted dramatically to his left and wasn’t in position to catch Freddie Freeman’s bloop single close to third. Kemp followed with a two-run homer, making the score 5-1. Inciarte was on third after Jonathan Villar made an error on a pickoff throw, marking the seventh straight game Milwaukee has committed at least one error.
Garcia worked out of a jam in the fifth, getting pinch-hitter Jesus Aguilar to fly out with runners on second and third in a 5-2 game. The Brewers had scored a run on a wild pitch during the at-bat by Aguilar, who checked into the game after Shaw exited with a right hand contusion. Counsell said Shaw had trouble gripping the bat, though X-rays taken during the game were negative.
Kemp’s three-homer game is the first for Atlanta since Mark Teixeira launched three against Seattle on June 22, 2008. Current Brave R.A. Dickey worked two innings of relief in that game for the Mariners and gave up two runs, but not one of the three blasts — Teixeira struck out in his lone at-bat against Dickey.
Mike Foltynewicz will look to continue his run of success when he starts the series finale against the Brewers at 1:10 p.m. CT at Miller Park on Sunday. The right-hander has gone seven innings in consecutive starts, allowing a total of three runs with 12 strikeouts.
