Teheran, Braves continue home success, edge Diamondbacks 3-2

“We were able to come up with some big two-out knocks,” Maybin said. “Any time you can score runs with two outs, it’s always huge. And Julio did another great job of going out there and giving us a chance to be in the game. That’s all you can really ask for.”

The Braves won for the 15th time in their past 23 home games. On the road, they’ve lost 15 of 17 games while posting a 5.26 ERA that’s nearly two runs higher than their ERA during the 15-8 stretch at home.

No one has had a more severe home/road split than Teheran, who’s been one of the National League’s best pitchers at home this season, and one of its worst on the road. He improved to 6-1 with a 2.44 ERA in 12 home starts, compared to 2-5 with a 6.75 ERA in 12 road starts.

Lately he’s shown more consistency home and road, going 2-0 with a 2.47 ERA in three August starts, including seven solid innings in a win at Philadelphia.

“Just trying to do the same things I’ve been doing my last few starts,” he said of Friday’s outing. “I’ve been feeling a little better on the left side of the rubber. Trying to do my thing there, trying to pitch inside, trying to use all my pitches, and that’s what I was able to do today.”

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said, “What did he punch out, seven? The slider was really, really good. He threw in, kept some of those right-handed hitters off his slider. He did a nice job.”

Then Gonzalez made sure to praise the defense behind Teheran and the work of reliever David Aardsma, who pitched the seventh and eighth innings and was the game’s “unsung hero,” in the manager’s view.

“We played some kind of defense today, boys,” Gonzalez said. “Maybin (diving catch), and even that play in the ninth inning that (second baseman Jace) Peterson made; that’s not an easy play on both ends, for him to catch it and throw it and then for (first baseman Joey Terdoslavich), that close, to be able to catch it. We did a nice job playing defense, and we got just enough runs and held them.”

The Diamondbacks got a run in the sixth and cut the lead to 3-2 with an unearned run in the eighth inning against Aardsma, after a two-out double by Ender Inciarte, a passed ball charged to A.J. Pierzynski, and A.J. Pollock’s RBI single.

Pollock stole second base to put the tying run in scoring position for National League MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt, who grounded out to shortstop Andrelton Simmons to end the inning.

After Aardsma got out of the eighth, Arodys Vizcaino worked a perfect ninth for his third save in as many chances since being thrust into the closer role after Jason Grilli suffered a season-ending Achilles tear and Jim Johnson was traded.

Teheran allowed only one hit and two walks through five scoreless innings, before Inciarte singled in the sixth and scored on Goldschmidt’s two-out double to trim the lead to 3-1. Goldschmidt was 0-for-11 with five strikeouts in his career against Teheran before the double.

Teheran improved to 3-1 with a 2.17 ERA in five starts against Arizona, including 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA in his past three.

He walked Inciarte to start the game, but Teheran struck out Goldschmidt for the second out, with Pierzynski throwing out Inciarte at second base to complete an inning-ending double play. The strikeout started a stretch in which Teheran struck out five of six batters, including Chris Owings after Jake Lamb’s two-out double in the second inning.

Maybin’s RBI single in the fifth chased Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray from the game. The left-hander had a 2.18 ERA and .209 opponents’ average in seven road starts before Friday, when Ray was charged with six hits, three runs and four walks in 4 1/3 innings, with no strikeouts.

It was a scoreless tie when Simmons singled with one out in the third. Teheran bunted him to second, and Peterson followed with a triple to the right-field corner for a 1-0 lead. With runners in scoring position, Peterson has a .302 average and team-high 13 extra-base hits.

Maybin was up next and tripled to right-center. He ranks among NL leaders with his team-best .388 average with runners in scoring position.

“Sometimes you get lucky,” Maybin said, “but again, I think it’s coming with the consistent quality at-bats, just continuing to put together quality at-bats and being a tough out. And when you’re a tough out and you can put together quality at-bats, good things happen.”