Atlanta Braves Fight Back In 7th To Steal The Win From The Milwaukee Brewers

Braves Beat Brewers, 2-1

The Atlanta Braves took game two of this four-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers, 2-1 on Tuesday evening.  We also won game-one on Monday 4-3 and have won four games in a row!  Atlanta has now one 10 of their last 14 games and 6-2 since acquiring Matt Kemp.

Milwaukee recalled Wily Peralta from Triple-A Colorado Springs to start on Tuesday night against the Braves.  Peralta replaced Junior Guerra, who is dealing with a sore right elbow.  Historically, the Braves have struggled against Peralta.  In the five games he’s started against the Braves, he has a 1.65 ERA with giving up only five earned runs, 13 walks and 19 strikeouts in the 27.1 innings he had previously pitched.  Scanning his splits on Baseball Reference, it looks as though he performs his best against the Braves.

Pitching Staff Is On Fire

Braves sent Tyrell Jenkins to the mound to start his sixth professional game.  Though he gave up three walks and had only three strikeouts, he got the ground balls and outs when he needed them the most.

Jenkins went six innings, giving up three hits and one run.  That one run came off the bat of Ryan Braun.  In the bottom of the 4th inning, Braun lifted a 2-1 pitch to left center field that hit off the Club Goodwill sign.  This put the Brewers on top 1-0.

After Jenkins was removed from the game for a pinch hitter, Madison Younginer came in for the 7th inning.  This was only his second career appearance in the big leagues.  He pitched a fantastic inning and picked up his first ever strikeout.  He came back out in the 8th inning, but gave up a leadoff walk….shhhh, let’s not talk too much about that.

Ian Krol came into the game to relive Younginer.  He was able to get a huge strikeout and then what looked like an inning ending double play…”looked like”.  Erick Aybar slid his foot across second base, but didn’t touch the bag when he had the ball in his glove.  The Brewers challenged this play and it was overturned.  What was even crazier about this play, was that the Braves then challenged the slide…that was not overturned.  What’s that slide rule again?!?

Newly acquired right-handed pitcher Chaz Roe came in after this play to get the last out in the 8th inning.  This was his first appearance in a Braves uniform.

The flame-thrower, Mauricio Cabrera came into the game for the 9th inning – Jim Johnson had pitched three of the last four games.  Cabrera picked up an easy save going 1-2-3.

Offense Wasn’t Sharp, But Got The Job Done

Atlanta’s offense wasn’t great in the first six innings on Tuesday, but got the goose egg off the scoreboard in the 7th inning.

The offense totaled just six hits in the ball game and only two prior to the 7th inning.  Peralta was pitching great against the Braves until Freddie Freeman‘s eight pitch walk to leadoff the 7th inning.  That was followed by a Kemp single and a Nick Markakis single up the middle.  The Markakis single scored Freeman to tie the game at 1-1.  Adonis Garcia then singled to center to score Kemp.  Braves take a 2-1 lead and never look back!

“That’s what he does, he’s just Mr. Reliable,”  Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Markakis.  “The guy is the guy we want up there when the game is on the line.  That was a hard fought, tough ball game tonight.”

“When you handle adversity, there’s good things on the other end of it,” Snitker said of his ball club.  “The way these guys come to the ball park everyday and prepare for the days game, is very impressive to me.  They’re all professional, do their work and leave it all out there when the game starts — you can’t ask for more.”