ATLANTA BRAVES NOTEBOOK: Shuffled lineup paying off for Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez likes the flow of his lineup since he shuffled the order last weekend and put Nick Markakis, Andrelton Simmons, Freddie Freeman and A.J. Pierzynski in the top four slots.

“It’s hard to complain about the way we have been scoring runs,” Gonzalez said.

In the four games with those four at the top half of the order entering Wednesday the Braves had cranked out 39 hits and scored 25 runs. In those games Markakis, Simmons, Freeman and Pierzynski combined to go 19-for-50 (.380) with six walks, 10 RBIs and 15 runs scored.

Previously the general order had been Markakis third, Freeman fourth, Pierzynski fifth and Simmons either seventh or eighth. Gonzalez decided to move Markakis to the top of the order because he’s consistently gotten on base, slotted Simmons into the No. 2 hole because he’s been producing and moved Freeman up a slot.

Pierzynski had been batting fifth when he played but now is the Braves’ hot cleanup hitter. Entering Wednesday he was batting .439 with a .458 on-base percentage, .732 slugging percentage and and 12 RBIs in 11 games

“What makes it flow, too, is my Polish catcher,” Gonzalez said, referring to Pierzynski. “He’s got like a wand. They play him this way, he hits it that way. They play him that way, he hits it this way. It looks easy.”

Gonzalez has been mixing and matching the order behind his top four. The Braves and Rangers are the only teams in the majors who had yet to repeat a lineup entering Wednesday’s games, with 20 different combinations in 20 games. The Giants, Brewers and Blue Jays each had used 20 different lineups in 21 games played.

Among that group, the Braves were the only team with a .500 or better record entering Wednesday. The Blue Jays ranked first in the majors in runs per game (5.52) and the Braves were 12th (4.45) but the other three teams ranked 24th or worse.

CORNELY MAKES DEBUT: Right-handed pitcher John Cornely made his major league debut on Wednesday against the Nationals in a 13-4 loss. He pitched one inning and allowed four earned runs, including a home run to Denard Span. He fanned Ian Desmond to pick up his first career strikeout.

Cornely, who was recalled on April 24, was selected in the 15th round of the 2011 draft.

WOOD STRUGGLED: Left-hander Alex Wood pitched only five innings on Wednesday and allowed a season-high five runs on six hits. Wood struck out six, but allowed a game-changing bases-loaded single to Jordan Zimmermann that cleared the bases and put Washington ahead. In six previous starts against the Nationals, Wood had allowed just six runs in 36 1/3 innings.

PIERZYNSKI EXTENDS STREAK: Catcher A.J. Pierzynski extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a two-run single in the first inning Wednesday night. He has hit safely in all 12 games in which he has played this season, the longest season-opening streak by a Brave since Edgar Renteria went a franchise-best 23 straight in 2006.

Pierzynski’s hitting streak is the longest in the majors. His career-best streak is 16 games set in 2012.