The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Saturday afternoon, and the turning point came in the third inning when a fielding error by Martín Pérez helped open the door to a rally.
Atlanta had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Braves could not hold it. Pérez bobbled a slow roller in the third, which led to a leadoff error and an unearned run. The Brewers then tied the game and moved in front 3-1 on Jake Bauers’ homer, a drive that traveled 413 feet.
How the Brewers took control
The inning against Pérez turned into a long one for Atlanta. The Braves left-hander was charged with four runs, one earned, on four hits in four innings. He threw 74 pitches and needed 37 pitches just to get through the third, which quickly shifted the game away from Atlanta.
Logan Henderson handled the Brewers' side of the matchup by completing six innings and allowing one run on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Milwaukee finished the job from there and improved to 16 of the final 20, continuing a strong stretch at a time when Atlanta is trying to stay afloat on the road.
What the loss means for Atlanta
The defeat was Atlanta’s fifth in six games on a four-city road trip. It also left the Braves at 75-55 and in danger of seeing their division lead shrink to three games if the Phillies won later Saturday.
Offensively, the Braves again struggled to do enough. They had scored two or fewer runs in five of their six games during the week, and Saturday followed that same pattern after the early 1-0 lead disappeared.
The teams are scheduled to meet again Saturday night in a neutral-site finale at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. For Atlanta, the quick turnaround offers a chance to stop the slide before the standings tighten any further.
