Morning Chop, Box, Chris Johnson — Atlanta Braves News

Los Angeles Dodgers Carl Crawford hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a MLB baseball game, Saturday, April 11, 2015, in Phoenix. Ellis was placed on the disabled list, had a leadoff single for his second hit.

Jim Johnson earned his seventh save, but his streak of 18 consecutive scoreless outings ended when he allowed a ninth-inning run.

Beachy did himself no favors by walking the opposing pitcher on four consecutive pitches, part of the two-out damage capped by Peterson’s hit.

Matt Wisler pitched great until the 5th inning when he gave up a two-run homer to Adrian Gonzalez and four runs in the inning. Markakis has been a solid player for the Braves this season, with a. 375 OBP, 22 doubles and excellent defense in right field, but his power stroke had been noticeably absent.

Markakis, who has hit cleanup in a team-leading 33 games, ended his drought of 356 at-bats without a homer.

Following an intentional walk to Andrelton Simmons, Beachy walked Wisler to load the bases with two outs in the fourth. Kendrick responded with a two-run double and Gonzalez followed with a long two-run homer to right field, his 21st. The right-hander gave up three runs in four innings in a 7-1 loss to Milwaukee on July 11, his first major league start since his final one for Atlanta on August 20, 2013. Kendrick hit a two-run double off the center-field wall and scored on Gonzalez’s 21st homer for a 4-all tie. Markakis doubled to left, went to third on an infield grounder and scored when third baseman Juan Uribe lined a single past the drawn-in infield. 313 batting average against do not bode well for Beachy as he fights to keep a rotation spot not only with Mike Bolsinger and Carlos Frias, but also with potential trade targets the Dodgers may and are likely to acquire as the trade deadline looms at the end of July.

Atlanta took a 5-4 lead in the fifth with one run against Liberatore. Peterson’s single drove in Simmons, who led off with a single.

The batter, Jace Peterson, rounded first base and went to second.

Atlanta Braves center fielder Cameron Maybin is safe at second base on a steal attempt as Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Jimmy Rollins applies the late tag in the first inning of a baseball game Monday, July 20, 2015, in Atlanta.

Dodgers: An MRI showed no structural damage in Ellis’ right knee.

“Yasiel’s throw’s got to be down”, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. Crawford missed 75 games with a torn oblique muscle in his right side and worked his way back methodically during a 20-day rehab assignment at both Class A Rancho Cucamonga and Oklahoma City.

NOTES: Atlanta 1B Freddie Freeman hit some balls before the game (tee and soft toss) and will be re-evaluated on Tuesday.

Braves reliever Andrew McKirahan will return after serving an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, as the team reinstated him Monday. RHP Ryan Kelly was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.

The good news for the Braves: In the Dodgers series that starts tonight, they’ll avoid facing either member of the best 1-2 starting combo in baseball, major league ERA leader Zack Greinke (9-2, 1.30 ERA) and Clayton Kershaw (7-6, 2.68). Stars like Justin Upton, Jason Heyward and Brian McCann, not to mention almost the entire bullpen and four-fifths of the starting rotation, are employed somewhere else now.