ATLANTA (WSAU-TSN) Jace Peterson’s two-out single in the 11th inning drove in the deciding run and lifted the Atlanta Braves to a 3-2 decision over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Peterson’s clutch hit off Brandon Kintzler (0-1) gave the Braves their second victory of this four-game series that concludes Sunday, while also earning Luis Avilan (2-0) a well-deserved win for 1 2/3 stellar innings of relief.
Cameron Maybin and Freddie Freeman had RBI doubles earlier for Atlanta. Shelby Miller, fresh off a near no-hitter Sunday in Miami, allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out five in six innings.
Martin Maldonado went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Milwaukee, which also received a run-scoring single from Ryan Braun and two hits each from Carlos Gomez, Elian Herrera and Luis Sardinas.
Brewers starter Mike Fiers fanned five in five innings while permitting a pair of runs.
A one-out walk from Kintzler to Alberto Callaspo proved fatal as Andrelton Simmons followed with a hard shot down the left-field line, though the ball struck umpire Chad Fairchild and forced Callaspo to stay at second.
Kintzler was able to retire Eric Young Jr. for the second out, but Peterson lined the first pitch he saw into left center for a clean hit that ended the three-hour, 48-minute nail-biter.
Avilan helped set up Peterson’s heroics by getting out of a major jam when entering in the top of the 10th. The lefty specialist came in with runners at the corners and one out — with Gomez on third after a leadoff double — and got Adam Lind to ground into a crucial double play that kept the 2-2 tie ongoing.
The Brewers had a chance come up empty as well in the ninth, as Sardinas wandered off the bag on a single that sent Jason Rogers to third and was tagged out on an alert relay throw from Simmons.
No drama existed in this outing for Miller, whose second pitch of the day was socked to right by Gomez for a double. Braun singled to center two batters later to stake Milwaukee to a quick 1-0 edge.
Miller settled in to hold the Brewers to a run until Milwaukee strung together a two-out rally in the fourth. A walk to Aramis Ramirez and Herrera’s single extended the inning for the light-hitting Maldonado, who laced a base hit to left in which Atlanta catcher A.J. Pierzynski couldn’t handle Jonny Gomes’ good throw attempting to nab Ramirez at the plate.
Fiers kept a shutout bid intact by stranding the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, but doubles by Miller and Maybin an inning later got Atlanta on the board. Freeman then smacked Fiers’ next pitch down the line in right for another double that knotted the score at 2-2.
The Brewers also had a golden opportunity to move back in front in the sixth, loading the bases on a hit batter, a Herrera single and a walk to Maldonado. However, Khris Davis — pinch-hitting for Fiers — had a check-swing comebacker to Miller that the Braves turned into a 1-2-3 double play to end the threat.
