ATLANTA _ The Los Angeles Dodgers saw their latest winning streak end at nine, falling short of an achievement that hadn't happened in more than 60 years, with a 5-3 loss to Atlanta. Braves catcher Tyler Flowers blasted a tie-breaking, two-run homer off Dodgers reliever Pedro Baez in the eighth inning.
A victory would have given the Dodgers (75-32) their third 10-game winning streak this season, a feat that hasn't occurred since the 1954 Milwaukee Braves strung together three of them.
Making his second start of the season, Brock Stewart paid for one mistake in the second inning. He served up a two-run homer to Braves outfielder Danny Santana. Otherwise, Stewart kept Atlanta off the board during four innings.
Cody Bellinger opened the scoring in the top of the second. He crushed a 91-mph fastball from Atlanta starter Julio Teheran into the Braves bullpen in right-center field for a solo shot. Bellinger became the second rookie in Dodgers history to hit 30 in a season. Mike Piazza holds the rookie record with 35 in 1993.
After Santana took Stewart deep in the bottom of the inning, the Dodgers offense compiled runs in the fourth and fifth. Chris Taylor got hit by a pitch in the fourth, stole second, took third on a flyout and scored on a groundout by Joc Pederson. An inning later, Chase Utley stroked a two-out single to plate Yasiel Puig, who had doubled.
Atlanta capitalized on a mistake by Corey Seager in the field in the bottom of the fifth. Braves outfielder Ender Inciarte hit a leadoff single against reliever Ross Stripling. The next batter, third baseman Brandon Phillips, chopped a grounder toward Seager. He bobbled the fielding of it, and could not turn two. Inciarte scored from second on a single by first baseman Freddie Freeman.
