MILWAUKEE – Ian Anderson flirted with a no-hit bid, and he knew it.
Anderson took his try into the seventh inning, Freddie Freeman hit his 250th career home run and the Atlanta Braves beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 on Saturday night.
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“I was thinking about it,” Anderson said. “Nowadays, there’s scoreboards everywhere. It’s hard not to see it.”
Anderson (3-1) cruised through the first six innings, mixing a 96 mph fastball, an effective changeup and an even slower curveball that kept the Brewers guessing.
The 23-year-old right-hander walked four and struck out four before the Brewers ended Anderson’s bid in the seventh. Daniel Vogelbach blooped a leadoff single to center and Pablo Reyes followed with a double that chased Anderson.
“I feel good,” Anderson said after throwing a career-high 110 pitches. “I feel good. I like pitching deep into games like that. It was a little frustrating not to be able to get the outs that last inning.”
The Braves’ bullpen had a rough go against the Toronto Blue Jays and got swept in a three-game series. Not against the Brewers, though.
A. J. Minter, Chris Martin and Will Smith each threw a scoreless inning of relief.
“A.J. did a great job, coming in and shutting it down,” Anderson said. “He did a good job.”
Minter gave up a sacrifice fly to Luis Urías, but the run was charged to Anderson.
Anderson helped the Braves win their fifth straight road game and match their longest road winning streak over the last three seasons.
Freeman hit a two-run homer in the second. The reigning NL MVP played down the significance of the clout that made him the sixth player in franchise history to reach the 250 mark.
“It feels good,” he said. “It just means I’ve been around a long time in my opinion. You don’t set out for milestones. You set out for World Series championships.”
William Contreras homered off Hoby Milner leading off the Atlanta eighth.
Milwaukee has lost 10 of 13 and slipped to 20-20 this season.
“We’re in a team-wide funk offensively,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “The road trip and the homestand, runs have been sparse because it’s everyone really.”
Travis Shaw was called out on strikes to end the Brewers fourth. He turned to bark at plate umpire Chris Segal who listened briefly and then tossed him. Reyes.
The Braves jumped on a shaky Brett Anderson (2-3) for a 4-0 lead.
“I felt really good,” Anderson said. “Feeling good doesn’t really translate into success all the time."
Ozzie Albies doubled home Freeman, and Dansby Swanson followed with a sacrifice fly in the first. Freeman capped the second with his 10th home run.
BRAVES ROSTER MOVES
The Braves returned OF Guillermo Heredia from his rehab assignment, reinstated him from the 10-day injured list (right hamstring inflammation) and started him in center field. … INF Johan Camargo was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. … Veteran C Jonathan Lucroy has been signed to a minor league contract. The move comes one day after C Tyler Flowers announced his retirement.
BREWERS ROSTER MOVES
The Brewers selected Milner from Triple-A Nashville and optioned LHP Eric Lauer there.
UP NEXT
Braves: RHP Huascar Ynoa (4-1, 2.23 ERA) makes his eighth start of the season.
Brewers: RHP Freddy Peralta (3-1, 2.77 ERA) makes his eighth start of the season.
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