Losing 4-3 to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night, the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers dropped consecutive games for the first time since June 22-23 at the Chicago Cubs.
Chris Johnson drove in two runs and Alex Wood overcame control problems to help Atlanta improve to 18-6 at home in games decided by two runs or fewer.
Wood (7-6) had allowed just six homers this season, but gave up two to the first six batters he faced. Justin Turner made it 1-0 in the first with his 12th homer and Yasiel Puig forced a 2-2 tie in the second with his fifth homer.
Wood won for just the second time in seven starts at home this year. The left-hander gave up six hits, three runs, four walks and struck out three in 6-2/3 innings.
Jason Frasor and Luis Avilan recorded the next four outs before closer Jim Johnson faced the minimum in the ninth to earn his eighth save in 11 chances.
Atlanta took a 2-1 lead in the first on Nick Markakis’ infield single and Johnson’s groundout.
The Braves went ahead 3-2 in the third when Markakis tripled for the first time this year and scored on Johnson’s single.
Los Angeles tied it at 3-all in the fifth. Reliever Tsao Chin-hui of Taiwan, who replaced Anderson, led off with a double and scored from third on Howie Kendrick’s single.
Tsao (1-1) was chased in the fifth after giving up consecutive singles to Markakis and Johnson. Markakis scored from third to put the Braves up 4-3 on Juan Uribe’s bloop single into shallow center field.
Tsao gave up two hits, one run, one walk and struck out two in 1-1/3 innings.
Brett Anderson, who left trailing 3-2, allowed five hits, three runs, two walks and struck out two in 2-2/3 innings.
Tsao hit a ground-rule double in the fifth on the first pitch. It was his first at-bat in 12 years and his first hit since 2003 when he and the Colorado Rockies played the Braves.
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