Braves 10, Brewers 1
ATLANTA -- Aided by the ejection of the opposing pitcher, the Atlanta Braves rallied for seven runs in the seventh inning to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 10-1 on Thursday night at Turner Field.
With the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez approached home plate umpire Chris Segal to complain that Milwaukee reliever Will Smith had a foreign substance on his right forearm. Segal gathered the other members of the crew and immediately ejected the infuriated left-hander, who was shown screaming at Gonzalez as he left the field.
The next four Braves delivered hits, transforming a 2-1 lead into a commanding seven-run lead over the disoriented Brewers.
The beneficiary was starter Julio Teheran (4-1), who pitched seven innings, his longest stint of the year, and allowed one run, two hits and one walk with a season-high seven strikeouts. He has allowed one earned run or fewer in three of his last four starts.
Atlanta's Brandon Cunniff pitched a scoreless eighth and Trevor Cahill worked a scoreless ninth.
The Atlanta bats were quiet early against Milwaukee starter Matt Garza (2-6), who allowed only one run through the first six innings.
The trouble for Milwaukee started in the seventh. Garza allowed back-to-back singles by left fielder Jonny Gomes and third baseman Alberto Callaspo to open the inning. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons bunted into a fielder's choice, leaving runners on the corners. Catcher Christian Bethancourt then drove in the go-ahead run with a single up the middle that chased Garza.
That's when the fireworks began. Smith entered the game and hit pinch hitter Pedro Ciriaco with an 0-2 pitch to load the bases. With left-handed batter Jace Peterson at the plate, Gonzalez approached the umpire, voiced his concern and Smith was thrown out.
Left-hander Neal Cotts quickly warmed up and inserted in the game, but the second baseman greeted him with an RBI single. Right-hander Michael Blazek entered the game and allowed an RBI single to center fielder Cameron Maybin, a bloop RBI single to first baseman Freddie Freeman and an RBI double to right fielder Nick Markakis.
The Braves scored their final run when second baseman Hector Gomez fielded a routine grounder and lobbed it over the head of first baseman Adam Lind.
Atlanta added two runs in the eighth against reliever Brandon Kintzler. One run scored on a wild pitch, the other on an RBI single by Freeman.
The Braves scored a run in the first inning. Maybin walked, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Markakis.
The Brewers didn't get their first baserunner until the fourth when they broke through with a run to tie the score 1-1. Center fielder Carlos Gomez walked and went to third on left fielder Gerardo Parra's single to right. Right fielder Ryan Braun drove home Gomez with a sacrifice fly to center, but Parra was thrown out by Maybin when he tried to take second.
Milwaukee appealed the call, but it was upheld upon video review.
NOTES: Milwaukee gave C Martin Maldonado a rest and started Juan Centeno. Maldonado started 25 of the previous 28 games since C Jonathan Lucroy got hurt, and he was mired in a 1-for-28 slump. ... Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell put RHP Matt Garza in the No. 8 spot and batted SS Luis Sardinas ninth. ... 3B Chris Johnson is expected to rejoin the Braves in San Francisco on May 28 for the start of a four-game series. Johnson (left hand fracture) has been out since May 1. He is at extended spring training in Orlando, Fla., and will take five or six at-bats, fly to Atlanta for batting practice with the Braves on Sunday and then play three rehab games with Triple-A Gwinnett. ... Pitching matchups for the second game of the four-game series are Atlanta LHP Alex Wood (2-2) against Milwaukee RHP Wily Peralta (1-5).