MILWAUKEE - Ian Anderson was flirting with a no-hitter, and he knew it.
Anderson took his try into the seventh inning, Freddie Freeman hit his 250th career home run and the Atlanta Braves beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 on Saturday night.
"I was thinking about it," Anderson said. "Nowadays, there's scoreboards everywhere. It's hard not to see it."
Anderson (3-1) cruised through the first six innings, mixing a 96 mph fastball, an effective changeup and an even slower curveball that kept the Brewers guessing.
The 23-year-old right-hander walked four and struck out four before the Brewers ended Anderson's bid in the seventh. Daniel Vogelbach blooped a leadoff single to center, and Pablo Reyes followed with a double that chased Anderson.
"I feel good," Anderson said after throwing a career-high 110 pitches. "I like pitching deep into games like that. It was a little frustrating not to be able to get the outs that last inning."
The Braves' bullpen had a rough go against the Toronto Blue Jays as Atlanta got swept in a three-game series before heading to Milwaukee. Not against the Brewers on Saturday, though.
A. J. Minter, Chris Martin and Will Smith each threw a scoreless inning of relief.
"A.J. did a great job, coming in and shutting it down," Anderson said. "He did a good job."
Minter gave up a sacrifice fly to Luis Urías, but the run was charged to Anderson, who helped the Braves win their fifth straight road game and match their longest road winning streak over the past three seasons. The three-time reigning National League East Division champions improved to 19-20 but are still trying to get over .500 for the first time this year.
Freeman hit a two-run homer in the second, his 10th this season. The reigning NL MVP played down the significance of being the sixth player in franchise history to reach the 250-homer mark.
"It feels good," said the 31-year-old Freeman, who made his MLB debut in September 2010 and has spent his entire career with the Braves. "It just means I've been around a long time, in my opinion. You don't set out for milestones. You set out for World Series championships."
Atlanta's William Contreras homered off Hoby Milner leading off the eighth.
Milwaukee has lost 10 of its past 13 games and slipped to 20-20 this season.
"We're in a teamwide funk offensively," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "The road trip and the homestand, runs have been sparse because it's everyone really."
Travis Shaw was called out on strikes to end the fourth. He turned to bark at plate umpire Chris Segal who listened briefly and then tossed him.
The Braves jumped on a shaky Brett Anderson (2-3) for a 4-0 lead. Ozzie Albies doubled home Freeman, and Dansby Swanson followed with a sacrifice fly in the first.
Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. missed his second consecutive game after injuring his left ankle while trying to beat out a grounder on Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays. Manager Brian Snitker said Acuña has made some progress.
The Braves returned outfielder Guillermo Heredia from his rehab assignment, reinstated him from the 10-day injured list (right hamstring inflammation) and started him in center field.
Infielder Johan Camargo was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett and veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy was signed to a minor league contract a day after catcher Tyler Flowers announced his retirement.