The Braves had beaten the Marlins seven consecutive times and 17 of the past 20 before Tuesday, when for a while in the sixth inning it looked as if they might let the visitors off the mat and give them a chance to end the streak.
But Chris Johnson had other ideas.
Johnson’s two-out, bases-loaded double broke open a 3-3 game and keyed a four-run sixth inning, propelling the Braves to an 11-3 rout in a series opener at Turner Field, where they improved to 4-0 on a six-game homestand.
“That’s what it’s about,” Johnson said. “I’ve not gotten the guy in this year (in some cases) when it was my turn, too. So I was just trying to pick up the guys in front of me (who struck out). That’s just part of being a complete ballclub.”
Johnson, Justin Upton and Brian McCann had three hits apiece, and Kris Medlen (6-7) got his fifth win in six starts, along with the first multihit game of his career with a bunt single and a double in two plate appearances.
Andrelton Simmons and Freddie Freeman also had two hits apiece for the Braves, whose first five batters were a combined 10-for-22 with eight runs and six RBIs. And that was with No. 2 hitter Jason Heyward going 0-for-4.
“Yeah, it became a party,” Simmons said of the offensive flurry. “We got a couple of fortunate hits, a couple of big hits. It was a mixture of every single one (in the lineup). It was good to see.”
They had seven extra-base hits among 16 total hits, the most hits and runs the Braves had all season without a homer.
“We split the gaps (for extra-base hits),” said manager Fredi Gonzalez, whose Braves improved their majors-best home record to 29-11 and their National League East lead to seven games, the largest division lead in the majors. “I thought the biggest double was Chris Johnson’s with the bases loaded.”
The Braves loaded the bases with none out in the sixth on three singles against left-hander Dan Jennings, then righty Ryan Webb struck out Dan Uggla and Reed Johnson.
“I thought Webb was going to get out of that inning,” Gonzalez said. “Chris put up a good at-bat and snuck that ball right inside the first baseline and gave us not only two runs, but a couple more opportunities to put a big number up.”
The Braves got four hits in the inning on six hits, three of which never left the infield. The double Johnson punched down the right-field line brought a collective sigh of relief for the Braves. And the commenced to unload upon Miami pitchers.
“Huge,” Medlen said of Johnson’s hit. “That’s my least-favorite hit to give up, that righty-righty double down the right-field line. It’s miserable. But when it happens for you, it’s a lot different. Huge hit. He had a great game. Mac had a few hits, too. Just try to keep it close and then let our guys do their thing.”
The Braves began the game with a league-worst .227 average with runners in scoring position, and were 2-for-11 in those situations Tuesday before Johnson’s double. Jordan Schafer and Simmons followed with two more RBI infield singles, each hustling to beat a throw to first to keep the inning alive, Schafer with a limp in his stride from an injury that’s kept him out of the lineup since he fouled a ball off his ankle a week ago.
Atlanta hit just .185 with runners in scoring position and two outs before Tuesday, but its exceptions were Freeman, who ranked among NL leaders with a .419 average in those situations, and Chris Johnson, who raised his to .346 (9-for-26).
Medlen gave up a two-run homer by Logan Morrison in the first inning, and allowed nine hits and three runs in six innings. He did some damage control to improve to 5-1 with a 2.50 ERA in six starts since the beginning of June, and 4-0 with a 1.70 ERA in seven games (five starts) against the Marlins over the past two seasons.
“Pitching-wise, it was one of those grinding games where you don’t necessarily have your best stuff,” said Medlen, who had two walks and just one strikeout. “I don’t think I was as crisp as I have been the past few starts. Good to be able to sneak out with a win, and like I’ve been saying all year long, just try to keep us close, try not to give away too many leads, and wait for the big inning. And that’s exactly what happened today.”
B.J. Upton exited with left-forearm spasms after striking out in the second inning. He said he’d had something similar happen before, but never to the point where his fingers locked up like they did when he tried to grip the bat during that inning. Still, he felt fine afterward and said he should be ready to play Wednesday.
With Schafer nursing a sore Achilles tendon from fluid buildup near the ankle, Reed Johnson replaced him in center field.
With the Braves down an Upton, they took a 3-2 lead in the fourth when Justin Upton hit a leadoff triple to the right-center gap and scored on Freeman’s sacrifice fly. Left fielder Pierre dropped the ball after nearly colliding with center fielder Marcell Ozuna, allowing Freeman to advance to third.
Two innings later, Upton misread a fly ball off the bat of Derek Dietrich, initially coming in before retreating as the ball sailed over his head for a leadoff double in the sixth. And two outs later, Dietrich, who played at Georgia Tech, scored on Dobbs’ single for a 3-3 tie.
After falling behind 2-0 in the first, the Braves scored a run apiece in the second through fourth innings, after a leadoff extra-base hit in each.
Johnson led off the third with a double, then scored from second when Medlen bunted and third baseman Placido Polanco threw wide to first base. Medlen collided with Morrison as he reached for the ball, and the big first baseman was shaken up by the collision but stayed in the game after being attended to.
It was the third memorable Medlen vs. Morrison moment in the early innings. Medlen gave up a two-run, first-pitch homer to Morrison with two out in the first inning, then picked him off first base after Morrison reached on a fielder’s choice for the second out of the third inning, with a runner at third base.
“There aren’t too many times when a guy takes you deep in the first inning and you can get him back,” Medlen joked.
Medlen added a double to center in the fifth for the first multi-hit game of his big-league career. He had been 10-for-90 (.111) with two extra-base hits and 44 strikeouts in the majors before going 4-for-10 with a home run and a double in his past five starts.
