Julio Teheran came back from the disabled list to pitch six hitless innings and strike out a season-high 11 in the Atlanta Braves' 4-1 win over the visiting San Diego Padres on Sunday.
Teheran (5-4) sailed through six innings on 95 pitches and walked three batters. He finished one shy of matching his career high for strikeouts in recording his ninth career start with double-digit strikeouts.
Teheran was placed on the 10-day disabled list on June 5 with a right thumb contusion that had caused his velocity and control to diminish. The veteran right-hander responded with his third scoreless start of the season and avenged a loss to the Padres in his last start.
The Atlanta bullpen made it interesting. Shane Carle pitched around two singles and worked a scoreless seventh. The Padres got a run off lefty A.J. Minter in the eighth and threatened in the ninth when the first two hitters reached against closer Arodys Vizcaino.
But the right-hander struck out two of the next three batters and earned his 15th save in 17 tries.
Atlanta won three of the four games in the series and improved to 4-3 against the Padres.
San Diego opted for a bullpen start with lefty Matt Strahm, who worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out five. In four starts, Strahm has allowed only one run in 9 2/3 innings with 13 strikeouts.
Strahm was followed by rookie Jose Castillo (1-1), who allowed two runs in 1 1/3 innings and took the loss. Craig Stammen pitched two scoreless innings and Adam Cimber worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Atlanta got two runs in the fourth inning when third baseman Johan Camargo ripped a two-run double into left field, scoring Tyler Flowers and Ender Inciarte.
San Diego got its run in the eighth inning against Minter when Jose Pirela chased home Franmil Reyes with a sacrifice fly.
Both teams received a warning after Raffy Lopez hit Atlanta catcher Kurt Suzuki in the back of the head with a swing-and-miss in the third inning. Suzuki had to leave the game.
Flowers replaced Suzuki behind the plate and went on to smack a two-run insurance homer in the eighth inning, his fourth, against reliever Brad Hand.
--Field Level Media