Braves thwart LA behind Peterson's 3 RBIs
ATLANTA -- Jace Peterson drove in three runs and Nick Markakis hit his first home run of the season as the Braves overcame Matt Wisler's rough fifth inning for a 7-5 win Monday night over the Dodgers at Turner Field.
After the Dodgers tied the game with four two-out runs in the fifth, they saw their former third baseman Juan Uribe put the Braves back on top for good with an RBI single off left-hander Adam Liberatore in the bottom half of the inning. Liberatore entered in relief of former Atlanta pitcher Brandon Beachy, who completed four innings while making his second start since returning from a second Tommy John surgery.
Video: LAD@ATL: Uribe knocks home Markakis with a single
The Braves, who had lost seven of their previous eight games, padded their advantage in the sixth when Peterson's single plated two runs. This proved to be enough for Wisler, who scattered three hits over the first four innings and then surrendered three consecutive extra-base hits, including Howie Kendrick's two-run double and Adrian Gonzalez's game-tying, two-run homer within a span of four pitches in the fifth. The Braves rookie got through the sixth inning unscathed and then saw his effort preserved when Jim Johnson induced a key double play off Kendrick's bat after the Dodgers loaded the bases with none out in the ninth.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Markakis tallies his first: Markakis sparked the Braves' 11-hit attack with a two-run shot in the first inning, his first home run in a span of 356 at-bats dating back to Sept. 25. The right fielder, who has struggled to generate his normal power while coming back from offseason neck surgery, added a double in the fifth that put him in position to score on the decisive single by Uribe, who was traded from the Dodgers to the Braves on May 27. More >
Video: LAD@ATL: Markakis' two-run homer puts Braves up early
Rough return: Beachy probably didn't want his first start at Turner Field since Aug. 14, 2013, to go like it did. He surrendered four earned runs, and in the fourth inning, after intentionally walking Andrelton Simmons, Beachy walked opposing starter Wisler, which led to the Braves' third and fourth runs. More >
"The stuff's there, the stuff feels good, it's just a matter of executing it," Beachy said.
Jace still likes 'em loaded: After Beachy walked Wisler to load the bases in the fourth, Peterson delivered an opposite-field flare that resulted in a two-run double and extended his success in these situations. The Braves second baseman has gone 9-for-14 with three doubles, a triple and a home run with the bases loaded this season.
Video: LAD@ATL: Peterson doubles in two with bases loaded
"We had some great at-bats," Markakis said. "Jace has been great with the bases loaded. I wish he could bat every time with the bases loaded."
Don't you run on Eury: Eury Perez's strong throw in the eighth helped stop a Dodgers rally after Gonzalez and Justin Turner started the inning with back-to-back singles. After fielding pinch-hitter Scott Van Slyke's ground ball to left, Perez came up and fired a strike to catcher A.J. Pierzynski at the plate, helping the Braves retain a 7-4 lead.
Video: LAD@ATL: E. Perez throws out Gonzalez at the plate
"That was really more of a bad decision for us," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. "That's not bad baserunning. That's on us."
• Guerrero's grounder takes funky hop away from fielder
QUOTABLE
"I feel like I belong here and I'm confident every time I pitch." -- Wisler, who has won four of five decisions and a 3.60 ERA through six career starts
"I thought Johnson did a great job in the ninth inning. ... He's a sinkerball pitcher and sometimes ground balls are going to find some holes. Then with one we turned the double play and the last one we got a ground ball to first and won the game." -- Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez
Video: LAD@ATL: J. Johnson gets Gonzalez to end the game
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Turner opened the series by going 4-for-4, including two singles and a double off Wisler. Entering Monday, Turner's slugging percentage against right-handers (.639) was the second-best in the Majors (minimum 150 at-bats) behind only Washington's Bryce Harper (.740).
Video: LAD@ATL: Turner goes 4-for-4 vs. Braves
WHAT'S NEXT
Dodgers: Brett Anderson takes the hill for game two of the series, making his 19th start of the season. Anderson last started 19 games in 2010, when he was with the Athletics. And while Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw have been gathering all the headlines, Anderson has quietly posted a 2.53 ERA in his past five starts.
Braves: Atlanta will counter with Alex Wood, who has allowed a season-high 10 hits in three of his past four uninterrupted starts. Wood made two starts within the final four days before the All-Star break. His July 9 start at Coors Field was limited to two pitches because of a long rain delay.
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