Peralta strong in return, but Brewers fall 2-1 to Braves
MILWAUKEE -- Brewers right-hander Wily Peralta made a strong return to the majors. Just not strong enough to win.
Peralta matched his season highs with six innings and six strikeouts, but Tyrell Jenkins countered with six solid innings and the Atlanta Braves beat Milwaukee 2-1 on Tuesday night.
Peralta (4-8) was recalled Monday when the Brewers placed right-hander Junior Guerra on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow inflammation. He allowed two harmless hits through six innings, but then ran into trouble in the top of the seventh when the Braves went ahead.
"It was very encouraging, for sure," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "He certainly mixed in more off-speed. Good changeups, curveballs he used, his slider he used. That made the fastball play out as much as anything. They respected his off-speed tonight. He pitched really well. He deserved better."
Peralta walked Freddie Freeman before Matt Kemp singled in the fifth. Nick Markakis followed with an RBI hit that chased Peralta. Adonis Garcia welcomed reliever Michael Blazek with a run-scoring hit.
"I had a hard time early when I was here," Peralta said. "It's a lot of emotion. I feel like I was pretty much making my debut today."
Peralta, the 2016 opening day starter, was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs on June 12. He made 13 starts before the demotion and had just two quality starts, none in his last six.
Jenkins (2-2) allowed one run and three hits. He walked three and struck out three in his sixth career start and 10th major league appearance. The right-hander has a 1.00 ERA over his past three starts.
"He competes and competes and competes," Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said of the young right-hander. "That's the one thing I admire about him."
His only mistake was Ryan Braun's home run in the fourth.
"The one guy in our meetings we stressed to not let him beat us was Braun." Jenkins said. "I kept that in mind."
Mauricio Cabrera pitched the ninth for his third save.
Jonathan Villar hit into a 4-6-3 double play in the eighth, but the Brewers challenged the force out at second and the call was overturned because shortstop Erick Aybar missed the base. Snitker then asked the umpires to review Manny Pina's slide into second base, and the slide was deemed legal.
Chaz Roe took over and got the final out when Orlando Arcia grounded to third and Pina ran into the tag.
Snitker, who was named interim on May 17, took over a club that was 9-28. Since then, the Braves are 34-42.
"When you handle adversity, there is good things on the other end of it" Snitker said. "But, you have to handle it. You take ownership of things and handle it."
The victory was the Braves' 10th in the last 14 games, including six in the last seven.
DON'T RUN ON ME
Anthony Recker strayed too far off second in the top of the third and catcher Pina recorded his second caught stealing of the game when he fired a strike to shortstop Arcia. In the first, Pina threw out Ender Inciarte trying to steal second.
STREAK IS OVER
Villar was caught stealing and made the third out in the sixth. It snapped a streak of 24 consecutive successful stolen base attempts, which was a franchise record.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Brewers: OF Domingo Santana started in right field and went 0 for 2 with a strikeout in his second game of a rehab assignment with Class A Wisconsin.
UP NEXT
Braves: RHP Joel De La Cruz (0-4, 3.41 ERA) makes his fifth start of the season and first against Milwaukee.
