Associated Press
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Stumble It!ATLANTA (AP) - In his first major league start, Jeff Bennett allowed only one run in five and two-thirds innings to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 3-1 victory over Milwaukee tonight, keeping the Brewers from moving closer to first in the National League Central Division.
The 27-year-old right-hander had not pitched in the majors since 2004, when he went 1-5 with a 4.79 ERA for the Brewers. He had been in the minors ever since and spent part of the time recovering from major elbow surgery.
Milwaukee, trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 1982, slipped to one-and-a-half games behind the division leading Cubs, who were idle. The Brewers have nine games left, one fewer than Chicago.
Chipper Jones was 3-4 for the Braves, raising his average to .342 and passing Colorado’s Matt Holliday for the National League lead. Holliday went 1-for-4 against Los Angeles, his average slipping to .339.
Atlanta’s Edgar Renteria, third in the batting race, was hitless in three at-bats and dropped to .336.
Rickie Weeks homered for Milwaukee. But that was the only run off Bennett, who was called up from Triple-A Richmond to make a start in Atlanta’s thin rotation.
