The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Teheran gets help to finish off Angels
Good pitching, big inning give Braves series-opening win.
ANAHEIM, CALIF.— The Braves played an unusual and exciting game Monday night at Angel Stadium, one where Julio Teheran gave up three home runs, but on balance, pitched quite effectively.
A game where Braves hitters went down in order in seven of nine innings and scored in just one inning, yet scored so much in that frame that Teheran could give up three homers in the first four innings — including back-to-back homers in the fourth — and still have a comfortable lead most of the night.
The Braves scored six runs in the third inning, all with two outs, and held on for a 6-3 win against the Angels in an interleague series opener, just the second win in six games but their seventh consecutive series-opening win for the Braves.
The Angels loaded the bases against Teheran with one out in the seventh inning and the Braves ahead 6-3, bringing ex-Brave Cameron Maybin to the plate representing the potential go-ahead run. Reliever Jose Ramirez entered the fray and quashed the rally, inducing a double-play grounder by Maybin on a full-count, 97-mph fastball.
Rookie third baseman Rio Ruiz made a slick play and second baseman Jace Peterson a nice turn on that 5-4-3 inning-ending double play, the play of the game.
“I was pretty pumped about that,” Ruiz said. “I was screaming, I was yelling. We got out of that inning. To get out of that inning for Julio — he pitched his tail off today.”
Ramirez had been behind in the count 3-1 before Maybin took a 97-mph strike 2.
“Huge,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I mean, good God, just to come back into that count like he did was really big. Great job. And a heck of a double play, too, by both guys, Rio and Jace.”
Teheran (4-4) gave up a home run to former Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons in the second inning and consecutive homers by Albert Pujols and Luis Valbuena, all three of those long balls coming on 0-1, four-seam fastballs clocked between 90-93 mph.
But all three homers came with bases empty and were the only three hits Teheran allowed through four innings, at which point the Braves still led 6-3.
“The offense was great at the beginning,” Teheran said. “That’s what you want, to get the lead. We were able to hold it the rest of the game.”
Three faring well in AllStar voting: Freddie Freeman and Brandon Phillips each ranked third at his position in fan voting for the National League All-Star team when the first updated results were announced Tuesday.
Matt Kemp was also sixth among NL outfielders in the update, giving the Braves far better representation than they’ve had in most recent seasons.
Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper led all NL players by a wide margin with 900,079 votes and teammate Daniel Murphy had the next-most votes with 669,643 to lead second baseman by a significant margin.
Freeman has been on the disabled list since fracturing his left wrist May 17 and expected to miss 8-10 weeks, which would keep him sidelined until at least late July and quite possibly August. The injury will prevent him from playing in the July 11 AllStar Game in Miami.
Before he was injured, Freeman hit .343, led the National League in home runs (14) and ranked second in on-base percentage (.461) and slugging percentage (.748).
Freeman, an All-Star in 2013 and 2014, received 286,389 votes in the first fan-voting update, trailing first baseman Anthony Rizzo (452,620) of the Cubs and Ryan Zimmerman (359,055) of the Nationals.
Phillips, a 16-year veteran who’s in his first season with the Braves, had 126,404 votes to put him third among NL second basemen behind Murphy (669,643) and the Cubs’ Javier Baez (474,119). Phillips, who’ll turn 36 in June, was a three-time All-Star with the Reds in 2010, 2011 and 2013.
Kemp got 284,420 votes to rank sixth among NL outfielders.
Collmenter to Gwinnett: The Braves outrighted veteran right-hander Josh Collmenter to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday, after he was designated for assignment last week and cleared waivers.
Collmenter, 31, had a 9.00 ERA in 11 relief appearances before he was dropped from the major league roster. He gave up 29 hits, 17 earned runs and seven homers in 17 innings, with six walks and 18 strikeouts.
The Braves signed him to a one-year, $1.2 million contract in November, avoiding arbitration.