The Atlanta Braves’ Ozzie Albies is congratulated as he returns to the dugout after scoring on Freddie Freeman’s triple in the eighth inning of Saturday’s game at Milwaukee. The Braves won 5-1 to end a four-game losing streak.MILWAUKEE – The Atlanta Braves’ longest losing streak of the season is over. At least for one day, so were Anibal Sanchez’s struggles against the Milwaukee Brewers and Freddie Freeman’s troubles at the plate.
Sanchez pitched effectively into the seventh inning and Freeman was a home run short of the cycle as the Braves beat the Brewers 5-1 Saturday, ending their losing streak at four games.
“I know the potential for this team to be in the playoffs is really high,” Sanchez said. “I’ve been in October games. I can bring a lot of things to October.”
Sanchez (4-2), who had a 6.37 ERA in eight career starts against the Brewers before Saturday, retired 19 in a row and struck out six in a row to help snap Atlanta snap its skid. The veteran right-hander exited with two outs in the seventh after being hit by a line drive near his right hip. A red welt was visible on his back, but he said afterward he was fine.
“He never throws a pitch, I don’t think, that he doesn’t know where he wants to put it,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
Sanchez allowed two hits, struck out eight and didn’t give up a walk until he put Hernan Perez on in the seventh, but his day on the mound ended soon after. Perez stole second, and Brad Miller’s line drive deflected off Sanchez and out of shortstop Dansby Swanson’s reach to cut Atlanta’s lead to 2-1.
Sanchez didn’t appear too shaken up – he smiled and high-fived teammates in the dugout after exiting – and reliever Dan Winkler recorded the final out of the inning.
“It’s fun to be able to play behind that,” Swanson said of Sanchez’s performance. “He’s been tremendous.”
Freeman went 3-for-4 and scored twice in his first multi-hit game since he was 2-for-7 against the Baltimore Orioles on June 22. On Saturday, he had a single in the first inning, a double in the third, a flyout in the fifth, a triple in the eighth and a walk in the ninth.
He and Nick Markakis had back-to-back RBI triples in the eighth, when the Braves scored three times to put the game out of reach. Freeman had batted .159 in his previous 17 games.
“I’m starting to feel a little better,” Freeman said. “I’m seeing pitches, not swinging at balls in the batter’s box. That helps.”
Sanchez benefited from a heads-up defensive play from Markakis in right field in the first inning. With runners on first and second, Travis Shaw flared a ball that should have loaded the bases.
Instead, Jesus Aguilar, on first, didn’t read the play quickly enough, and Markakis fired a strike to Swanson at second for the first of Sanchez’s 19 straight outs.
“Travis hit a ball that Aggie just didn’t get a good read on,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “That was our opportunity against Sanchez, for sure.”
Brewers spot starter Aaron Wilkerson’s tough day actually started Friday.
His original flight was delayed after getting called up from Triple-A Colorado Springs, so he instead traveled from there to Houston and then Chicago. He arrived in Milwaukee at 3:30 a.m. Saturday.
“And they lost my bags on the way,” Wilkerson said. “It was kind of a rough one. But it’s not an excuse for anything.”
Wilkerson (0-1) took the rotation turn of Brent Suter, who went on the 10-day disabled list Friday due to tightness in his left forearm.
Johan Camargo’s two-run single off Wilkerson gave Atlanta the lead in the first. Wilkerson allowed two runs on four hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out five.
Atlanta rookie left fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was out of the lineup after leaving with tightness in his groin Friday night.