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Campillo leads Braves over Brewers

Jun 25, 2008 - 9:45 PM By Phil Foley PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

ATLANTA (Ticker) -- Kelly Johnson and Jorge Campillo helped the Atlanta Braves avoid being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers for the first time ever at home.

Johnson drove in three runs and Campillo hurled seven solid frames and collected two hits to lead the Braves to a 4-2 win over the Brewers in the finale of a three-game set at Turner Field on Wednesday afternoon.

Rookie Gregor Blanco had two hits and drove in a run and Brandon Jones scored for Atlanta, which salvaged a .500 homestand at 3-3.

"Jorge won the game all the way around," Johnson said. "A slash bunt and a base hit and he pitched phenomenal again."

With Atlanta's pitching staff decimated by injuries, the Braves - who sport four starters that have less than two years of major league experience - converted Campillo (3-2) into a starter in May. Signed as a minor-league free agent in the offseason, the Mexican rookie has been impressive since moving into the rotation.

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The 29-year-old entered Wednesday's matinee tops among all rookie hurlers with a .238 opponents' batting average and was second with a 2.54 ERA.

"He's legit," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "When we started him in the rotation, we didn't know for sure. He opened our eyes in relief. Every start he has had have all been on the excellent side. He looks like a classy veteran to me."

He was equally as sharp in this one.?? Pitching on a day where the temperature spiked in the low-90s, the righthander pounded the strike zone, throwing 61 of his 88 pitches for strikes en route to allowing two runs and scattering only four hits. He walked none and struck out six.

"I feel good right now," Campillo said through translator Jair Jurjjens. "I'm in command of all my pitches. I'm thankful for the chance the Braves have given me right now."

"People who throw hard make mistakes more often," Milwaukee left fielder Ryan Braun added. "People with pinpoint control (like Campillo) don't make many mistakes. That means everything when a guy comes out and throws the way he did today."

Batterymate Brian McCann is glad that he does not have to face his teammate, who he claims has three different pitches with three or four variations of each of them.

"It's no fluke," McCann said of Campillo's success. "He knows how to pitch. He's been doing it in the Mexican League for years. He's getting his chance right now and he's making the most of it."

Not only did Campillo beat the Brewers on the mound, but he also beat them with his bat as he singled and scored in each of Atlanta's two-run innings.

Campillo helped Atlanta erase a 2-0 deficit with a one-out single in the third off Milwaukee counterpart Jeff Suppan (4-6) and advanced to second on a single by Blanco. Johnson helped Atlanta break out of an 0-for-10 slump with runners in scoring position by tying the contest with a double down the right field line.

Atlanta tacked on two more in the fifth. Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun misjudged Jones' liner to left, losing it in the haze before the ball dropped over his head for a double, bringing up Campillo.?? After initially squaring to bunt, the Atlanta hurler elected to swing away and smoked a single to left, advancing Jones to third.

Blanco plated Brandon Jones with a single to give the Braves a 3-2 lead before Johnson capped the rally with a run-scoring single up the middle.

"When you are hitting in Chipper (Jones') (No. 3) spot (in the order), you have a chance to drive in runs," Johnson said. "Anytime you hit in that part of the order, that's what you have to do."

Blaine Boyer worked around a two-out triple in the eighth and Mike Gonzalez scattered one hit in a scoreless ninth to record his second save since being activated from the disabled list on June 17.

Suppan allowed four runs and nine hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

"They scored their runs in bunches today," Suppan said. "I was trying to minimize the damage. If I could have located my fastball better, the outcome might have been different."

Mike Rivera and Rickie Weeks each drove in runs for the Brewers, who had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Chipper Jones, who did not start for the fifth straight game due to a strained right quadriceps muscle, struck out in his only at-bat to see his league-leading average fall to .394.

The Braves hope that Jones will be healthy enough to be the designated hitter when the club opens up a three-game set in Toronto on Friday.

Omar Infante left the game in the second inning after straining his right hamstring rounding first base on a double. He is listed as day-to-day.