So much for the Braves’ hugging ritual, some of Brian McCann’s teammates could have kissed him.
McCann hit a first-inning grand slam Sunday afternoon to snap the Braves’ streak of 24 consecutive scoreless innings going back to Thursday night. The Braves exhaled, hit two more home runs – solo shots by Chris Johnson and Jordan Schafer - and held on for a 7-4 win over the Brewers.
“You talk about lifting the pressure off us,” Uggla said, who hugged McCann at the time and played along with the metaphor afterward. “After he takes a shower, I’ll give him a kiss.”
Granted it’s only June and Game No. 77, but the 10th grand slam of McCann’s career couldn’t have come at a better time. The Braves had managed only six hits combined in back-to-back 2-0 losses the first two games of the series for their majors-leading 10th and 11th shutouts on the season.
Jordan Schafer broke through with one of his four hits on the game with a leadoff double in the first inning. Andrelton Simmons followed with a single. Still, the Braves nearly left the bases loaded on strikeouts by Jason Heyward and B.J. Upton around a Freddie Freeman walk.
But McCann took two inside pitches from Alfredo Figaro for balls, fouled one off, and then worked a 2-1 fastball over the fence in left center.
“I usually don’t hit home runs over that way,” McCann said. “I’ve been working hard to stay on the ball, and today luckily I put a good enough swing on it to go out that way.”
The Brewers narrowed the Braves’ lead to 6-4 with four runs off Paul Maholm but got four critical outs from reliever Jordan Walden, including a pop-up with the bases loaded to prevent former Brave Juan Francisco any grand slam ideas of his own.
Schafer went 4-for-5 with a double and a home run, coming a triple shy of the cycle. He did just what the Braves needed from the leadoff spot, breaking the ice with a double down the line to open the game, dragging a bunt past the pitcher for a base hit in the second inning and then joining the home run derby with his third of the season in the fourth inning.
“He’s staying within himself,” McCann said. “You’re seeing this guy has got a lot of tools and we’re starting to see them on a nightly basis.”
The Braves, who piled up 14 hits, could break out smiles for their chartered flight to Kansas City and hitting coach Greg Walker could get some sleep. Walker spent Sunday morning walking around the clubhouse lining up hitters for batting practice in indoor cages and on the field with a cup of coffee in his hand.
Gotten any sleep? “No,” he said.
McCann helped ease his mind with the Braves’ fourth grand slam home run of the year, which ties Seattle and Boston for the most in the majors.
McCann’s previous two grand slams before Sunday came against the Phillies – one against Antonio Bastardo in a 5-0 win for Tim Hudson on July 6, 2012 and one off Roy Halladay on May 2, 2012 to help the Braves come back for a wild 15-13 win.
“Mac hitting that grand slam in the first inning just kind of put everybody at ease,” Uggla said. “We went back to having fun.”
Johnson followed with his second home run in five games and fifth of the year, going to the opposite field as well. Schafer came one hit shy of a career-high. And Uggla added some insurance with a two-out two-strike single to right field.
That gave closer Craig Kimbrel a little breathing room, though he pitched like he didn’t need any, striking out two of the three batters he faced in his 21st save.
The Braves snapped an eight-game losing streak at Miller Park and Maholm won for only the third time in 11 starts in Milwaukee. He won in his major league debut at Miller Park with the Pirates on Aug. 30, 2005 and again on July 26, 2006. He had gone 0-3 over eight starts since.
He gave up a two-run single after falling behind Logan Schafer and a two-run home run to Jonathan Lucroy two batters later.
“Like I told (Tim Hudson) and them, somebody has got to get all the runs,” Maholm said, smiling. “Unfortunately I let them back in it. (But this) is a good way to get us going and get us back to where we need to be.”
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