Chacin solid in Brewers’ 7-2 win over Braves

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jhoulys Chacin threw seven solid innings and Hernan Perez homered among his three hits, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 7-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night in a matchup of first-place teams.

NL Central Division-leading Milwaukee won its fourth game in a row to go 17 games over .500 (52-35) for the first time since July 1, 2014, when the Brewers were 51-34.

Chacin (7-3) gave up three hits and two earned runs while matching a season high with seven strikeouts in what tied for his longest outing this year. The right-hander was 0-2 in his previous three starts while allowing 10 runs in 15 2/3 innings.

Dan Jennings pitched two perfect innings for his first save this season, and second of his career.

NL East-leading Atlanta dropped its third consecutive game after winning four straight — and lost for the first time this season on a Thursday (7-1).

Braves left-hander Max Fried (1-3) lasted only three innings in his third start of the season, giving up four earned runs and four hits with three walks.

Atlanta gave Fried a 2-0 lead in the first, but he gave up a run in the bottom of the frame and did not help his cause in the second. After a leadoff triple by Perez and a walk to Keon Broxton, Milwaukee tied it at 2 on a single by Tyler Saladino. Fried failed to hold the runners on first and second by not even looking at them, so Broxton and Saladino converted a double steal. Erik Kratz’s groundout scored Broxton to give Milwaukee a 3-2 lead.

Then, Fried not only walked Chacin, he fired a wild pitch that bounced off the backstop on ball four. Catcher Tyler Flowers retrieved the ball and threw to Fried covering the plate. But Saladino - who appeared to be an easy out - slid awkwardly in front of the plate and knocked it out of the pitcher’s glove. Saladino got up and stepped on the plate for a 4-2 lead.

Perez hit a two-run homer — his fifth — off reliever Dan Winkler in the eighth.

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