Jun 29 2008
Pitching can’t ground Jays as Braves drop to four games out in East
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
Blue Jays 9, Braves 5
Top of the Order: Tim Hudson and Jeff Bennett let things get out of control in the sixth inning, and a late rally wasn’t enough as the Braves dropped the middle game of a three-game set, falling four games out in the NL East.
The Good: After struggling in a 10-game stretch where he amassed just five hits, Gregor Blanco appears to be righting the ship. He went 4-for-5 in the leadoff spot, giving the rookie eight hits in 13 at-bats in his past three games. Mark Teixeira hit his sixth homer this week, his 16th of the season, and also walked twice with two runs scored. Kelly Johnson went 2-for-4. Rookies Brent Lillibridge and Brandon Jones each had a hit, and Jones threw out a runner at third base. Will Ohman allowed a hit but struck out two in a scoreless inning of relief.
The Bad: It wasn’t like Hudson was terrible, but Timmy was far from crisp: seven hits and six runs allowed with three walks and three strikeouts in five-plus innings. After the Braves tied the game on Brian McCann’s double in the fifth, Huddy gave up a run in the bottom of the fifth and worked himself into a mess in the sixth: a homer, a walk, a single and another walk. On came Jeff Bennett, who hit a batter and allowed a hit to make it 6-1. After the Braves pulled within 6-5, Manny Acosta continued to show the impact of his overuse: three hits, three runs and a walk in one inning of work, his ERA rising to 4.69. Chipper Jones and his major-league leading .394 average did not play, and neither did Yunel Escobar nor Omar Infante. But, all three did take batting practice and could be back by the start of next week’s ultra-important series against Philadelphia at Turner Field.
View from the Sports Garage: Not exactly the type of performance the Braves hoped for after Jair Jurrjens sparkled in Friday’s season opener. Hudson struggled with his control and pitch location, giving up homers on bad pitches to lead off the fifth and sixth innings. When you battle back to tie a game, as the Braves did in the top of the fifth, only to see your pitcher give the run right back on a homer, it’s a bit deflating. Huddy then made a mess that Bennett couldn’t clean up in the sixth, and Acosta – who is an absolute mess right now – let the Jays pull away again in the eighth. Not a great performance overall, but without Chipper and Escobar and Infante, the Braves should be happy they are in position to win the series today instead of facing the prospects of being swept. With Philly’s win at Texas Saturday night, Atlanta now is four games back in the NL East, tied with the Mets for third place and one game behind second-place Florida.
On deck
Braves at Blue Jays
1:07 p.m. today, Rogers Centre
The Skinny: After a run of stellar starts, Jo-Jo Reyes (3-5, 4.48 ERA) came back down to earth a little in his last outing, giving up six hits and four runs in Monday’s loss to Milwaukee. Reyes struggled with spotting his fastball, which had been the key in the left-hander pitching great in his previous five outings. For the Blue Jays, right-hander A.J. Burnett (7-7, 5.07 ERA) is coming off a four-hit, one-run performance over eight innings against Cincinnati. The Braves really, really need this one today. To win a series in which three of their top players miss all three games would be a tremendous boost heading into the showdown series with the Phillies.
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