Braves at Brewers
Freddie Freeman struggled for a bit coming out of the All-Star break, but the Atlanta Braves first baseman looks like he is finding his hitting stroke again entering Tuesday’s contest at the Milwaukee Brewers. One night after breaking a scoreless tie with a three-run homer in a victory at San Diego, Freeman launched his 25th homer – another three-run blast to open the scoring – in the fourth inning of Atlanta’s 4-2 victory over the Brewers in Monday’s series opener.
Freeman finished 1-for-3 and second baseman Ozzie Albies collected three hits – his 16th multi-hit effort in his past 32 games – for the Braves, who extended their lead in the National League East to a season-high 7 ½ games over idle Washington and 9 ½ games in front of third-place Philadelphia. The Brewers slide continues as Milwaukee dropped to 2-8 in its past 10 games and fell for the 18th time in their past 27 contests, remaining 2 ½ games behind the Cubs in the NL Central. Right fielder Christian Yelich continues chasing his second-consecutive NL MVP award, swiping his league-leading 22nd base while going 2-for-4 to raise his average to .332 with a 1.116 OPS and 32 homers. Brewers rookie second baseman Keston Hiura went 3-for-4 while falling a homer shy of the cycle, and is 10-for-20 with six extra-base hits and five RBIs during his current five-game hitting streak.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Atlanta), FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Bryse Wilson (1-0, 6.14 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Brandon Woodruff (10-3, 3.67)
Wilson returns to the Atlanta rotation, where he made two consecutive starts before being optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett so he could pitch during the All-Star break. The 21-year-old gave up four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings June 27 at Chicago, then held Philadelphia to two runs on five hits in six innings on July 3 to pick up his first victory of the season. Wilson, who allowed nine runs on seven days rest in 2 2/3 innings for Gwinnett on Thursday, is 2-0 with a 4.82 ERA in four career starts and makes his eighth big-league appearance Tuesday.
Woodruff comes off his first All-Star appearance looking to continue a season in which he began the week tied for second in the NL in wins, seventh in strikeouts-to-walks ratio (5.04) and eighth in saves (126). The 26-year-old closed the first half with two outstanding starts, giving up one run with no walks and six strikeouts in a win against Pittsburgh on June 29 and a 1-0 loss on July 4 to Cincinnati. Woodruff, who is 8-0 in 10 starts at home with a 1.10 WHIP, allowed two runs on five hits in eight innings of a no-decision May 19 at Atlanta.
WALK-OFFS
1. Atlanta placed RHP Jacob Webb, who has a 1.39 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with two saves in 36 games, on the injured list with a right elbow impingement before Monday’s game and recalled RHP Huascar Ynoa.
2. Brewers RHP Junior Guerra, who allowed five runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings in his past three appearances, pitched two perfect innings Monday.
3. Braves CF Ronald Acuna Jr. singled in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to nine games and his on-base streak to a career-best 21 games.