ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves right-hander Williams Perez made a dazzling return to the majors at the Phillies’ expense on Wednesday night.
Perez pitched eight innings of one-run, two-hit ball in beating the Phillies, 5-1, at Turner Field.
Perez opened the game with four no-hit innings before Ryan Howard led off the fifth with a solo home run.
Perez was not scheduled to start the game. He was recalled from Triple A several hours before the game when the Braves traded right-hander Jhoulys Chacin to the Los Angeles Angels for minor-league lefty Adam McCreery.
The Phillies are 19-15 through 34 games, but they are averaging just 3.18 runs per game, second-lowest in the majors.
The win was just the Braves’ second of the season at home. They are 2-16 at Turner Field.
The Phillies’ 10-game road trip concludes Thursday night. They are 4-5.
Starting pitching report
Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff struggled through 4 1/3 innings. He gave up seven hits, including a homer, and four runs, three of which were earned.
Eickhoff walked one and struck out two. It was the shortest of his seven starts this season. He is 1-5 with a 4.43 ERA.
Perez opened the season in the Braves’ rotation, but was sent to Triple A after allowing 13 hits and eight walks en route to posting a 5.11 ERA in three starts. He returned in triumph in this game. He did not walk a batter in his eight innings of work and struck out four.
Bullpen report
Brett Oberholtzer pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings for the Phillies.
Arodys Vizcaino got the last three outs for the Braves.
At the plate
Howard’s homer was his eighth of the season. His average climbed to .182.
The Phils had just three other hits, all singles. One came in the eighth inning and two in the ninth.
The Braves, who entered the night averaging a major-league-low 2.97 runs per game, scored single runs in the first, second, third, fifth and eighth innings.
Two of the Braves’ runs scored on sacrifice flies. Freddie Freeman clubbed his second home run in as many nights. The Braves have just nine homers on the season, fewest in the majors.
Health check
Reliever Dalier Hinojosa, on the disabled list with a bruised right wrist, will require some more tests on the injury because he is still feeling soreness in the area. Hinojosa took a hard-hit ball off the wrist April 28 in Washington.
Cody Asche, recovering from an oblique injury, is scheduled to play a full game in extended spring training on Thursday.
Up next
The series concludes on Thursday night with Vince Velasquez (4-1, 2.17) opposing Braves righty Aaron Blair (0-2, 3.31).