Moustakas gets big hit in 8th, Brewers rally past Braves 4-2

ATLANTA (AP) — Mike Moustakas hit a two-run double in the eighth inning, Josh Hader recorded a two-inning save and the Milwaukee Brewers rallied to beat the Atlanta Braves 4-2 on Saturday night.

Atlanta began the game leading the NL East by one percentage point and had won nine of 12. Milwaukee snapped a two-game skid and pulled within two games of the NL Central lead.

The Brewers scored three times in the eighth to take a 4-2 lead. Braves reliever Jesse Biddle (3-1) let the first batter, Christian Yelich, reach on an error when he dropped the ball at the bag after catching first baseman Freddie Freeman’s underhand toss. Lorenzo Cain singled, and both runners scored on Moustakas’ double.

Biddle faced two more batters and gave way to Dan Winkler, who walked his first batter and gave up Erik Kratz’s run-scoring infield single.

Moustakas, in his 14th game since coming to Milwaukee in a trade with Kansas City, is hitting .285 with eight RBIs over a span of 49 at-bats.

Hader hadn’t pitched in three days and was plenty rested to make his 16th two-inning appearance and earn his fifth save in such situations this year. He faced the minimum in the eighth and in the ninth, striking out three to pick up his ninth save in 12 chances.

Corbin Burnes (3-0) earned the win after facing four batters in the seventh.

The Brewers led 1-0 in the first on Ryan Braun’s RBI single to shallow center. Ronald Acuna Jr. tied it by leading off the bottom of the first with his 14th homer, and the Braves made it 2-1 in the fourth.

Freeman reached on a double and slid his left leg safely onto the plate, beating a tag attempt on Nick Markakis’ single. Second baseman Travis Shaw fielded the ball in shallow right after it glanced off first baseman Eric Thames’ glove and threw to Kratz, who caught the ball at the plate but didn’t have time to turn and tag Freeman.

Braves starter Julio Teheran allowed one run, two hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out six, improving from a rough three-start stretch in which he gave up 15 runs — 13 earned — in his previous three starts, a span of 15 innings.

Brewers starter Wade Miley gave up six hits, two runs and one walk with no strikeouts in six innings.

GREAT MOVE

Braun ran hard to his right in left field and dove to rob pinch-hitter Ender Inciarte of extra bases and keep a runner from scoring from second to end the seventh.