LOS ANGELES – Kris Medlen could barely contain his enthusiasm Friday when the Braves pitcher discussed what Dodger Stadium meant to him, and how he used to come to games with sold-out crowds when he was a kid growing up in nearby Norwalk, a Los Angeles suburb.
He talked of how being back here always reminded him what a privilege it was to be a big-leaguer, and also about how excited he was about starting Saturday’s game, just his second start at Dodger Stadium and first since 2010.
Medlen channeled that energy into a superb all-around performance Saturday night, pitching 6-2/3 scoreless innings and hitting the first home run of his major league career to lead the Braves in a 2-1 win against the Dodgers. His home run ended up being the game-winning RBI.
"I mean, it couldn't have been a better day for me today," said Medlen, whose fifth-inning homer was his first since he hit one in Double-A in 2008. "Most importantly we got the win, which was awesome. But for me to hit my first home run here, Cloud 9. I mean, I'm kind of speechless. I've had dreams of doing that for the Dodgers as an infielder, but I'll take it."
Dan Uggla and Medlen homered in a three-batter span to start the fifth for a 2-0 lead, just enough offense for the Braves to bounce back with a win after wrenching losses in the first two games of the four-game series.
“That was cool,” Uggla said of Medlen’s performance. “He was really on his game tonight. He was making pitches, hitting home runs — that was fun to watch.”
It was the second win in their past in their past six road games for the first-place Braves, who’ve mustered three runs in 28 innings in the first three games of the series. They pushed the National League East lead back to 7-1/2 games over the Phillies and eight games over the Nationals, who’ve each lost two in a row.
“Med did a nice job — 6-2/3 innings of shutout baseball, hits a home run that kept us ahead,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “I just found out when I came in here that it was his first career home run. Good timing on his part.
“We still haven’t swung the bats – we get nine hits or seven hits, but we still haven’t put a crooked number up in I don’t even know how long.”
Craig Kimbrel worked around a leadoff single and a wild pitch in the ninth to record his 18th save, striking out Mark Ellis for the final out with a runner at second base and Dodgers rookie phenom Yasiel Puig on deck.
“Leave him right there,” Gonzalez said of Puig, who had four homers in his first five games since being called up last week from Double-A, including a grand slam and a solo homer in the first two games against the Braves. “I didn’t want to face him. Any day you feel pretty good that Kimbrel can do the job, but I think everything’s going pretty good for (Puig) right now. (He got an) infield single there in the eighth inning…
“But anyway, game’s over. Enjoy it for a little while and then come right back tomorrow.”
The Braves send Mike Minor to the mound when they go for a series split Sunday afternoon.
The Dodgers had the sold-out crowd of 52,716 buzzing when they cut the lead to 2-1 with an unearned run in the eighth inning, after a throwing error by shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who has been uncharacteristically erratic of late. After an RBI single to pinch-hitter Hanley Ramirez, reliever Jordan Walden got Scott Van Slyke on a pop-up to end the inning.
Medlen (3-6) allowed five hits and one walk with six strikeouts, and threw 81 strikes in 116 pitches. He also joined Minor and Tim Hudson to give the Braves three starting pitchers with a home run apiece this season. The only other team with more than two homers from pitchers is the Cubs, with four.
“He started listening to his hitting coach,” joked Hudson, referring to himself.
Uggla led off the fifth with his 11th homer, and two batters later Medlen’s first big-league homer landed in the front row of the right-field seats. He drew applause from Braves fans scattered around the packed stadium, including at least 15 Medlen friends and family in a stadium suite that his agent purchased for the event.
Medlen’s wife, Nicole, traveled from Atlanta for the game. His parents moved to Texas a while back and didn’t make it out, but he had several cousins and an uncle in attendance, along with a former high school coach.
“Every time I pull up to this stadium in the cab or the team bus, it just brings back memories,” Medlen said. “My dad or my uncle would take me to games. I would watch Dodger games (on TV) with my grandma. Just old stuff. It brings things back.”
When a reporter asked about his last home run and if it had been when he was in college, Medlen joked, “Uh, batting practice in Danville (in rookie ball)? I mean, I don’t know. Yeah, college. My last real home run.” (He apparently forgot the Double-A Mississippi homer.)
“But like I said, for me to do it here, in front of some family, and my wife flew in. She always tells me to ‘get her a home run,’ so I got her a home run, I guess,” Medlen said, smiling.
The still-boyish right-hander wears the bill of his cap flat, like Southern California kids did long before others around the country followed suit. He’s always shone against his former favorite team: He improved to 3-0 with a 1.21 ERA in eight games (three starts) against the Dodgers, including an 0.98 ERA in five games (two starts) at Dodger Stadium.
He was a switch-hitting college shortstop, but just a .117 career hitter in 94 major league at-bats when he stepped to the plate in the fifth inning, including 2-for-21 with nine strikeouts this season.
On a 1-0 count, Medlen bowed up and pulled an 89-mph fastball to the seats. It was just his third career extra-base hit, but his second in as many starts at Dodger Stadium. He had an RBI double at the stadium on June 3, 2010.
Medlen has been the Braves’ tough-luck pitcher this season. Before Saturday he was 1-3 in his past seven starts, despite a 3.05 ERA and five quality starts in that period. The Braves had scored no runs while he was in three of those games, and one run in another.
Noting Medlen’s record and ERA (2.97), Gonzalez said, ” That’s the sign of a pretty good pitcher who’s not getting any run support.”
Braves starters have allowed just two earned runs in 29 innings over the past four games (0.62 ERA), and Medlen has allowed no earned runs (one unearned) in 13-2/3 innings over his past two starts.
“Our starting pitching has been the backbone of this team,” Uggla said. “Theyv’e been unbelievable.”
No one in the NL has struck out more times this season than Uggla, who was batting .182 with 76 strikeouts when he led off the fifth inning. But he has done two things well this season: draw walks and hit home runs.
Dodgers rookie starter Stephen Fife got ahead in the count 0-2 against Uggla before he drove a hanging curveball over the fence in left-center, his 11th homer. Uggla is just 10-for-110 (.091) when batting in two-strike counts, one of the worst averages in the majors, but half of those 10 hits have been homers.
Until their two-homer burst, it looked like a wasted scoring opportunity in the first inning would haunt the Braves. Andrelton Simmons doubled to start the game and Jason Heyward followed with a walk. After slumping 3-hole hitter Justin Upton surprised many by laying down a sacrifice bunt, the Braves had two in scoring position with one out.
Fife got out of the jam by striking out both Freddie Freeman and Brian McCann, showing off a nasty breaking ball and getting each of them looking at the third strike. The Brave had started the day with a .233 average with runners in scoring position, tied with the Cubs for second-worst in the National League.
They had a runner in scoring position in the seventh and eighth innings, and strikeouts hindered those as well.
But in the fifth inning, Uggla and Medlen each worked around the RISP problem by taking Fife out of the ‘yard.
The Braves are 5-9 in their past 14 road games, and 13-2 in their past 15 home games.
“Huge win for us,” Uggla said. “We’ve struggled on the road all year. We needed this win.”
