Host Braves defeat surging Giants 5-3

Despite entering the game with an MLB-worst 4-21 home record, the Atlanta Braves beat San Francisco 5-3 on Monday, just the Giants’ third loss in their last 15 road games.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy didn’t like some of the ball and strike calls on Jeff Samardzija.

Samardzija didn’t like the results.

Samardzija fell short in his attempt to win four straight starts for the first time in his career as the Giants lost 5-3 to Mike Foltynewicz and the Braves on Monday in Atlanta. The Giants suffered only their third defeat in their last 15 road games and just their third overall in 18 games.

Samardzija (7-3) gave up six hits, two walks and five runs — four earned —in five innings, his shortest start of the season. Bochy said some calls on pitches went against Samardzija.

“I was getting frustrated,” Bochy said. “Some of those pitches looked pretty good.”

Samardzija said the start was “just kind of puzzling.”

“I’ll have to go back and look at it and break it down a little better,” he said. “Obviously a couple walks didn’t help either.”

Samardzija and the Giants paid for a decision to issue an intentional walk to A.J. Pierzynski, which loaded the bases with one out in the second inning. Samardzija struck out Foltynewicz, the No. 8 hitter, but Mallex Smith hit a three-run triple into the gap in left-center field.

It was Smith’s third triple, and he ranks second on the Braves with 18 RBIs.

Foltynewicz (2-2) gave up a leadoff homer to Brandon Belt in the second inning but allowed only one other runner to advance to second during his six-inning stay. Bochy said Foltynewicz was “pounding the strike zone with all his pitches. We just couldn’t mount much off him.”

The Giants scored twice in the ninth off Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino before he induced a game-ending groundout to third.