Chris Johnson, Alex Wood help Braves to 4-3 win over Dodgers

Chris Johnson drove in a pair of runs and Alex Wood battled into the seventh inning as the Atlanta Braves handed the Los Angeles Dodgers a 4-3 loss.

For the second straight game, Atlanta gave its starting pitcher some early runs to work with. The Dodgers struck first however when Justin Turner lined an Alex Wood fastball over the left field fence to give Los Angeles an early 1-0 advantage. The Braves came right back in the second. Jace Peterson walked to start the game and Cameron Maybin reached on an infield single to shortstop Enrique Hernandez whose throwing error on the play allowed both runners to move up 90 feet. Nick Markakis then grounded out to first scoring Peterson to tie the game. Johnson followed with a ground out to second scoring Maybin to give the Braves an early 2-1 advantage.

The Dodgers struck back again in the second as Wood was victimized by the long ball once more. Yasiel Puig's one out homer to left tied the game once again.

The Braves put something together once again in the third as Markakis drove a ball into the gap in right center for a triple. Johnson followed with an opposite field single to put Atlanta back in front 3-2. The score would stay that way until the fifth when Dodgers' pitcher Chin-Hui Tsao led off the inning with a ground rule double. He moved to third on a groundout by Joc Pederson and later scored to tie the game on a ground ball out by Howie Kendrick.

Atlanta had an answer once again as Markakis led off with a single and advanced to second on an error by Pederson in center field. Johnson followed with another single to put runners at the corners. Juan Uribe then followed with an RBI single to center against his old club to put the Braves back in front for good at 4-3.

Wood found himself in a jam in the sixth, but pitched around a lead off single by Adrian Gonzalez and a walk to Scott Van Slyke. Wood improves to 7-6 on the season after allowing six hits and three runs in 6 2/3 innings of work.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly was ejected in the eighth inning when he came out to defend Turner who took exception to home plate umpire James Hoye's strike zone. Turner grounded out and had something to say to Hoye on his way back to the dugout. As Hoye followed him, Mattingly intervened and was promptly ejected.

The Braves turned to Jim Johnson in the ninth who worked a perfect ninth to pick up his eighth save of the season.

Atlanta wins its second straight game after losing seven of eight. The series wraps up Wednesday afternoon with Julio Teheran squaring off against the Dodgers' Mike Bolsinger.