The Brewers returned home still in last place in the NL Central, but brimming with confidence from a 7-0 road trip and eight-game winning streak. They were the hottest-hitting team in the majors and they would be facing 22-year-old Braves rookie Matt Wisler on Monday.
But three batters in, Braves veteran Kelly Johnson hit a two-run homer off Kyle Lohse that changed the dynamic of the evening and the Braves added two more runs in the second inning to stake Wisler to a 4-1 lead that led the way to a 5-3 win to open a three-game series at Miller Park.
Again, Wisler (3-1) came out on the right side of the decision-in his fourth major league start, pitching impressively into the sixth inning. The Braves won for the fifth time in six games while snapping the Brewers’ winning streak and pulling to within five games of NL East leader Washington.
The early lead he was given was “huge,” Wisler said. “It kind of puts the momentum in our favor, getting those runs, guys jumping on (Lohse) early, allowed me to go out there with a little more confidence. Now I can go out there knowing I don’t have to shut them out. I can give up one or two runs and know we’ll still be in this game.”
The first five hitters in the Braves’ batting order had 12 hits, four runs and five RBIs. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski said of the Brewers, who .353 with nine homers and 58 runs during their eight-game winning streak “They were raking, every one of them. So for him (Wisler) to come in and do what he did … he gives up a home run, then settles down nicely. He did really good and the bullpen was awesome.”
Four relievers worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings for the Braves with Jason Grilli converting his 23rd save in 25 chances.
Johnson’s homer in the first was his seventh and the 20th allowed by Lohse. Lohse (5-10) was charged with 11 hits and four runs in five innings.
Leading off the Brewers’ first inning, Gerardo Parra homered on Wisler’s 95-mph fastball, the seventh pitch of the at-bat after he’d fouled off three straight.
Wisler also gave up a long fly to Segura that left fielder Eury Perez caught against the wall to end the second inning. But in the third, after allowing a leadoff single that sailed past the outstretched glove of second baseman Pedro Ciriaco, Wisler induced ground balls from the next three batters to get out of the inning unscathed.
His best inning was the fourth, when Wisler struck out Ryan Braun on three pitches to start it — he looked at a third-strike slider — and struck out Carlos Gomez on five pitches to end it.
“He’s got a nice repertoire,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “Different pitches, \and he’s not afraid to throw them in different counts, even when he’s behind in the count.”
Perez booted two balls in the fifth. First he kicked around Shane Peterson’s RBI bloop single and then with two out, he again failed to field a single cleanly. This time, Peterson tried to score, perhaps not quite as familiar with the arm of cut-off man Andrelton Simmons.
Simmons took Perez’s throw and fired a fastball to Pierzynski, who tagged Peterson for the third out, preserving the 4-2 lead.
The Braves tacked on another run in the sixth, when Markakis doubled to start a two-out rally against reliever Cory Knebel. Johnson followed with a walk and Uribe’s single made it a three-run lead. That gave each of the first five batters in the Braves lineup multiple hits before the end of the sixth inning.
The insurance run came in handy when the Brewers answered with a run of their own in the sixth. After Gennett hit a leadoff double, Wisler struck out Braun and Adam Lind. But he couldn’t do the same again to Gomez, whose single trimmed the lead back to two, 5-3.
Wisler was left in to face Ramirez and walked him. He was replaced then, having thrown 65 strikes in 98 pitches.
“I could have easily taken him out there against Ramirez,” Gonzalez said,. But I thought that was a good development moment, to let him face Ramirez. Even though he walked him, he didn’t give in to him. Still made some quality pitches. You bring in Aardsma, he gets us out of it. Our bullpen did a nice job closing them out.”
Pierzynski had his second four-hit game of the season, including two doubles. Johnson had three RBIs in the first two innings. Nick Markakis had two doubles and Juan Uribe had two hits, including an RBI single in the sixth that pushed the lead back to three runs.
Cameron Maybin, batting leadoff while slumping Jace Peterson had a rest day, reached base three times, singled and scored in each of the first two innings, stole a base and made a terrific sliding catch before hitting the outfield wall.
Wisler (3-1) recorded his first road win in two starts, allowing three runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings with a walk and six strikeouts. He was replaced after giving up a run in the sixth on a leadoff double, a two-out single and a two-out walk. Reliever David Aardsma coaxed an inning-ending fly out from Jean Segura to keep the lead at 5-3.
“These guys came in hot,” Pierzynski said of the Brewers, who .353 with nine homers and 58 runs during their eight-game winning streak “They were raking, every one of them. So for him (Wisler) to come in and do what he did … he gives up a home run, then settles down nicely. He did really good and the bullpen was awesome.”
Four relievers worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings for the Braves with Jason Grilli converting his 23rd save in 25 chances.
Johnson’s homer in the first was his seventh and the 20th allowed by Lohse. Lohse (5-10) was charged with 11 hits and four runs in five innings.
Leading off the Brewers’ first inning, Gerardo Parra homered on Wisler’s 95-mph fastball, the seventh pitch of the at-bat after he’d fouled off three straight.
Wisler also gave up a long fly to Segura that left fielder Eury Perez caught against the wall to end the second inning. But in the third, after allowing a leadoff single that sailed past the outstretched glove of second baseman Pedro Ciriaco, Wisler induced ground balls from the next three batters to get out of the inning unscathed.
His best inning was the fourth, when Wisler struck out Ryan Braun on three pitches to start it — he looked at a third-strike slider — and struck out Carlos Gomez on five pitches to end it.
“He’s got a nice repertoire,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “Different pitches, \and he’s not afraid to throw them in different counts, even when he’s behind in the count.”
Perez booted two balls in the fifth. First he kicked around Shane Peterson’s RBI bloop single and then with two out, he again failed to field a single cleanly. This time, Peterson tried to score, perhaps not quite as familiar with the arm of cut-off man Andrelton Simmons.
Simmons took Perez’s throw and fired a fastball to Pierzynski, who tagged Peterson for the third out, preserving the 4-2 lead.
The Braves tacked on another run in the sixth, when Markakis doubled to start a two-out rally against reliever Cory Knebel. Johnson followed with a walk and Uribe’s single made it a three-run lead. That gave each of the first five batters in the Braves lineup multiple hits before the end of the sixth inning.
The insurance run came in handy when the Brewers answered with a run of their own in the sixth. After Gennett hit a leadoff double, Wisler struck out Braun and Adam Lind. But he couldn’t do the same again to Gomez, whose single trimmed the lead back to two, 5-3.
Wisler was left in to face Ramirez and walked him. He was replaced then, having thrown 65 strikes in 98 pitches.
“I could have easily taken him out there against Ramirez,” Gonzalez said,. But I thought that was a good development moment, to let him face Ramirez. Even though he walked him, he didn’t give in to him. Still made some quality pitches. You bring in Aardsma, he gets us out of it. Our bullpen did a nice job closing them out.”
