Jurrjens strong again but Braves lose 2-1

PHOENIX – Atlanta's Jair Jurrjens was good again, just not good enough against Arizona's impressive young Josh Collmenter.

Collmenter blanked the Braves for six innings to run his scoreless streak to 21 and the Arizona Diamondbacks handed Jurrjens his first loss of the season with a 2-1 victory over the Braves on Thursday night.

Jurrjens (5-1) lost for the first time in seven starts as Arizona swept the two-game series from Atlanta. After blowing a lead and losing 5-4 in 11 innings in the series opener, the Braves struggled to even threaten in this one.

"J.J. pitched good enough to win the ballgame but our bats didn't come alive until those last two innings," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Our pitching has been keeping us in every single ballgame since we broke spring training. Our bats have been going hot and cold, so hopefully we will get going again."

Collmenter (3-0), whose ERA dropped to 0.69, gave up two hits with one strikeout and no walks in his second start. The 25-year-old right-hander has allowed two runs in 26 innings, with 15 strikeouts and one walk, since being called up from Triple-A Reno, including a franchise-record 12 scoreless innings in a row as a starter.

He mixed in a few curveballs with his staple of fastballs and nasty changeup.

"I don't want to hurt myself by walking guys," he said. "That's been my game plan all along is work it in and out and mix up my pitches, keep them off balance and try and keep balls out of kind of their wheelhouse."

He and Jurrjens were locked in a scoreless fight until Chris Young's solo home run with two outs in the sixth. Juan Miranda, who had three hits, tripled in a run later in the inning.

"Two bad pitches I left up in the middle and that was the ballgame," Jurrjens said. "Two hitters I left the pitches up and they were dangerous hitters. If you leave pitches up they are going to hit it in the big leagues. Two pitches cost us the game."

The Braves got an unearned run off closer J.J. Putz in the ninth when Brian McCann doubled off the left field wall with two outs, then right fielder Justin Upton dropped Dan Uggla's line drive for an error. Putz struck out Freddie Freeman to end the game and earn his 10th save in 10 tries.

Collmenter, who has an unusual straight overhand style, threw just 76 pitches, 57 for strikes, in the Diamondbacks' third straight victory and fifth in six games. The Braves had won four in a row before dropping two in the desert.

Jurrjens, who entered the game with a 1.66 ERA, allowed two runs on eight hits in 6 2-3 innings, striking out two, walking one intentionally and hitting a batter.

Freeman had three hits for the Braves, including both off Collmenter. He and Alex Gonzalez singled off the lefty Paterson to start the eighth and were sacrificed to second and third by Nate McLouth's bunt. But Paterson got pinch-hitter Brooks Conrad to pop out and Vasquez came on to get Martin Prado to bounce out to third and strand both runners.

Young, 2 for 15 in the homestand up to that point, hit the first pitch from Jurrjens down the left field line into the seats for his ninth home run to make it 1-0. It was just the second homer Jurrjens has allowed this season. Miguel Montero followed with his second single of the night, then Miranda tripled high off the wall in right-center to make it 2-0.

Freeman doubled into the right field corner with two outs in the second, then was stranded when Gonzalez fouled out. In the fifth, Freeman singled with one out but Gonzalez fouled out again, this time to the catcher, then the third baseman Roberts made a running catch bending over the fence on McLouth's pop foul to end the inning.

NOTES: Arizona LHP Zach Duke will make a rehab start for Triple-A Reno at Round Rock on Monday. If all goes well, he will make his debut with the D-backs at Houston on May 28. He started the season on the DL with a broken left hand. ... The Braves optioned RHP Julio Teheran to Triple-A Gwinnett and recalled RH reliever Jairo Asencio. ... Seven Atlanta batters fouled out in the first six innings. ... Until Young's homer, the top five batters in the order for both teams were a combined 0 for 26. ... Paterson, who turned 25 on Thursday, had his 18th consecutive scoreless outing to start his career, tying the Diamondbacks record set by Doug Slaten in 2006.