Jarred Kelenic ended a month-long slump by hitting a homer and a double in the Atlanta Braves’ 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.
Austin Riley went 4 for 5, helping the Braves win despite leaving 11 men on base.
Kelenic doubled during Atlanta’s four-run rally in the third inning and hit a solo home run over the left-field wall in the fourth. Kelenic, who grew up in Waukesha, Wisconsin, has been staying at his childhood home for this series.
“It’s probably the most surreal homer I’ve hit so far in my short career,” the 25-year-old Kelenic said. “Just running around the bases, I kind of got butterflies.”
Kelenic had about 80 friends and relatives cheering for him from behind the Braves’ dugout.
“I saw some teachers that I had in middle school that were here,” Kelenic said. “It just kind of makes you think about when you were a kid and stuff like that. It’s super special to be here. I’m just trying to take it all in.”
Before Tuesday, Kelenic had hit just .125 (11 of 88) in July, with a .189 on-base percentage and a .239 slugging percentage. His slump had dropped his batting average from .278 to .235, and his OPS from .781 to .681.
“It’s going to be like that with a young player,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s going to be up and down, peaks and valleys and things like that as they learn to put this whole thing together.”
Braves pitcher Bryce Elder (2-4) ended a rough stretch of his own.
Elder, who came into the game with a 6.35 ERA, held a shutout into the seventh inning and gave up only one run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked one.
After being selected to the All-Star Game last season, Elder has spent much of this year moving between Atlanta and Triple-A Gwinnett. He has nine starts in the majors and 10 in the minors.
