Jhoulys Chacin, Hernan Perez come through when needed most to keep Brewers chugging along

It is impossible to downplay the contributions made by Jhoulys Chacín to a Brewers starting rotation that gets little if any love from the outside world.

Starters rarely are given the chance to pitch past the sixth inning these days. For that matter, some aren’t allowed to trespass beyond the fifth.

But, with high-leverage relievers Corey Knebel and Josh Hader off limits Thursday night due to a heavy workload, and Jeremy Jeffress only on call in a ninth-inning save situation, a short outing by Chacín against Atlanta could have resulted in something ugly for the Brewers.

Instead, Chacín went seven innings for only the second time this season and reliever Dan Jennings covered the final six outs, in order, to pave the way for a 7-2 victory over a young and dangerous Braves team at Miller Park.

Of going a full seven innings, Chacín said, “That’s one of the things I wanted to do today since we have a couple guys (unavailable in the bullpen). I really wanted to help them. After the first inning, I was like, ‘Just go back out and throw strikes.’ I was able to go seven and I’m happy I did.”

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After hitting the first batter of the game, Ender Inciarte, on the foot with a slider and then allowing an RBI triple to budding young star Ozzie Albies, Chacín appeared to be anything but in control. After that, however, he kept a potent lineup in check by mixing speeds and using backdoor breaking balls to catch the Braves looking at strikes.

Atlanta’s hitters didn’t appear too enthralled with the strike zone of home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg but Chacín knew a good thing when he saw it and kept working the outside corner with his off-speed stuff.

“My curve and slider were good tonight,” he said. “Everything was working for me. They were missing on my curveball and changeup, so I just was pitching them backwards for a bit.

“I was throwing good backdoor sliders. I’m just happy I could throw it today. They’re a good-hitting team and in first place with good, young hitters, so you just have to get it over to them and throw strikes. When you get behind (in the count) is when you get hurt.”

With Chacín and Jennings holding Atlanta’s offense in check, it was just a matter of how comfortable the victory would be for the Brewers, who love playing at night (36-15) and at home (28-17). Hernán Pérez, getting a rare start at third base, did most of the heavy lifting on offense by going 3-for-4 with a triple, two-run home run and two runs scored.

Pérez’s tripled ignited a three-run rally in the second that put the Brewers ahead to stay. So often reliant on home runs to score, they put together a series of good at-bats, including a walk by Keon Broxton, two-strike RBI single by Tyler Saladino and run-scoring groundout with two strikes by Erik Kratz, making the contact play a success.

“We had really good at-bats in the second inning, starting with Hernán,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Very good at-bats at the bottom of the lineup in that inning. You see that the big numbers on offense always coincide with the bottom of the lineup producing.”

Like many of his teammates, Pérez got off to a slow start at the plate this season. When you’re a utility player not guaranteed consistent at-bats, it’s hard to get things turned around but Pérez showed he can still make a different offensively when swinging at strikes.

“I needed a day like that so I can get back my confidence,” Pérez said. “It is a little bit hard (coming off the bench) but I’ve been doing this for two years and I’m used to it. When they give me the opportunity, I try to do my best.”

Counsell thought Pérez would have hit for the cycle if not for a running catch in center by Inciarte for the final out in the third.

“It’s probably a double in the gap,” Counsell said.

The aggressive Pérez said he wouldn’t have stopped at second, however, merely to make history.

“If that ball goes by him, I think I’m going to get another triple,” he said. “I try to play hard. That’s part of the game. He’s a Gold Glove outfielder and that happens.”

It was a good night for the Brewers, on and off the field. First-round draft pick Brice Turang tweeted from California that he had signed with Milwaukee, one day before the deadline to do so. The club will make official on Friday the signing of the highly regarded prep shortstop from California.

The Brewers are 17 games over .500 (52-35) for the first time since July 1, 2014, before that team’s terrible collapse. They also tied the ’82 World Series club for the best record through 87 games in franchise history, no small feat.