ATLANTA — Kris Medlen hadn’t received much offensive support from his Atlanta Braves teammates this season, but that changed Monday night.
Brian McCann, Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman each hit a two-run homer, and the Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-2 to give Medlen his first victory since April 9.
Medlen, 2-6 despite a 3.14 ERA, allowed just an unearned run in seven innings. The right-hander gave up seven hits, walked none, struck out six and hit a batter, while throwing 102 pitches.
“It’s been awhile,” said Medlen of going nearly two months between victories. “Any time you get run support like that, you have to take advantage of it.”
Medlen, who left his previous start after two innings when he was hit on the calf by a line drive, entered the night with the second-lowest run-support average of any National League starter — just 2.51 runs per game.
The Braves, though, teed off on the Pirates’ A.J. Burnett on Monday.
“He got some run support … finally,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “We swung the bats well.”
Burnett had allowed just four homers in his previous 12 starts, but McCann took him deep in the fourth inning before Heyward and Freeman did the same in the fifth during a stretch of four straight hits.
McCann also had a single in the seventh inning, giving him 1,000 hits for his career.
“Good for him. Congratulations,” Gonzalez said.
Burnett (3-6) had his worst outing of the season and is 5-12 lifetime against the Braves. He gave up eight hits and six runs, walked three and struck out five in five innings as his ERA went from 2.72 to 3.22.
“That’s a good hitting lineup and you can’t get behind [in the count] on them,” Burnett said. “I went out there without a hook again and I have to find that.”
It wasn’t a good night in any way for the Pirates (35-23). Catcher Russell Martin and manager Clint Hurdle were ejected in the fourth inning after a squabble over two called balls.
The victory gave the Braves (35-22) a 19-7 home record and pushed their lead over idle the Washington Redskins to seven games in the National League East.
The Pirates scored their run off Medlen in the third inning as Gaby Sanchez doubled to drive in Neil Walker, who had been hit by a pitch and moved to second base on a throwing error by center fielder B.J. Upton.
However, Freeman drew Burnett’s third walk of the game to open the fourth inning, and the Braves soon had the lead. McCann picked on a 3-2 sinker that didn’t sink and pulled his seventh homer of the season into the right field stands, putting Atlanta in front 2-1.
Things got testy before the inning ended. With Chris Johnson on second and two outs, the Pirates disagreed when umpire Dan Iassogna called the first two pitches to Medlen balls.
“I stood up and said [expletive] and he threw me out,” Martin said. “I was frustrated. … But I don’t think it was a necessary move by the umpire. … And he’s normally an umpire I get along with.”
Hurdle was ejected as well soon afterward.
“Maybe I should have followed them the way the fifth inning went,” Burnett said.
Andrelton Simmons reached on a swinging bunt leading off the fifth. Heyward, who snapped an 0-for-19 funk with a first-inning single, deposited a misplaced 1-0 changeup from Burnett into the right field seats for his sixth homer.
After Justin Upton followed with a single, the Braves went up 6-1 with their second two-run homer of the inning. This time Freeman went the other way with a first-pitch fastball and sent a drive over the left field fence.
Medlen allowed just two base runners over his last four innings, retiring the Pirates in order three times.
“I felt I located in and out a lot better today,” Medlen said. “I woke up [this morning] and just told myself, ‘I’m going to do good today. This is the time where everything is going to click.’ For the most part, I felt like it kind of did.”
NOTES: Braves C/LF Evan Gattis added May’s National League Rookie of the Month to his honor in April, becoming the first player since Heyward in 2010 to win in consecutive months. … RHP Jason Grilli was named Major League Baseball’s Delivery Man of the Month for May, the second straight time that the Pirates closer had been named the top reliever. … RHP Jeanmar Gomez, who lasted just one inning Sunday in a start for the Pirates against Cincinnati, was placed on the disabled list with a forearm strain. … RHP Jared Hughes and RHP Ryan Reid were promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis to bolster the Pirates’ bullpen. … OF Alex Presley was sent back down to Indianapolis despite going 4-for-9 in starts Saturday and Sunday. … CF Andrew McCutchen, who had played in 55 of the Pirates’ first 57 games, was given a scheduled day off. … The Pirates beat the Braves three times during a four-game series at Pittsburgh in April and won the season series between the teams three of the past five seasons.