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Atlanta slugs forward in Wild Card race
In a crucial weekend series against the Florida Marlins the Atlanta Braves had to rely on their bats rather than their pitching to win games. Javier Vazquez was knocked around in game 1 on Friday, allowing 5 earned runs in 6.2 innings. He struck out 8 but allowed home runs to Jeremy Hermida and Hanley Ramirez. Florida starter Anibal Sanchez was fantastic, going 6 strong innings and allowing just 1 run on 2 hits. Atlanta’s 3 runs came courtesy of Adam LaRoche’s 3-run home run in the bottom of the 7th. Despite the late surge Atlanta was not able to score again and fell 5-3.
Tommy Hanson excelled in his latest start to earn his 9th win of the season. Hanson dominated Florida, striking out 7 in 7 innings of work while allowing 3 runs. All 3 of Florida’s runs came in the 5th and only inning where Hanson struggled. Omar Infante led off the game for Atlanta with a solo home run and Yunel Escobar would later add his 12th of the year off Chris Volstad. Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano pitched perfect innings to preserve Hanson’s victory. Rafael Soriano earned his 19th save of the season in a 4-3 Atlanta victory.
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Derek Lowe entered the rubber game of the 3 game set hoping to rebound from his last start where he allowed 8 runs. Lowe got off to a solid start but would eventually scatter 9 hits and allow 5 runs in just 5 innings of work. Florida starter Ricky Nolasco was knocked out of the game in the 5th inning with the help of Brian McCann who had a big day. McCann launched a 3-run home run in the bottom of the first and would later add a go-ahead 2-run single to put Atlanta on top 7-5 in the bottom of the 8th. McCann drove in a career high 5 runs to help Atlanta secure a 7-5 victory. With the victory Atlanta moves into 3rd place in the Wild Card Standings behind Colorado and San Francisco.
Atlanta sits just 4 games back of the Wild Card leading Colorado Rockies when they begin a series with the San Diego Padres. Atlanta has an off day on Monday and will begin the series on Tuesday. Mat Latos (4-3, 4.82) will take on Jair Jurrjens (10-8, 2.99) in game 1. Tim Stauffer (1-6, 3.95) will try to work past the 5th inning for the first time in his last 5 starts when he takes on Kenshin Kawakami (6-9, 3.97). The final game of the series is set to see Clayton Richard (7-3, 4.42) face Javier Vazquez (10-9, 3.14).
In other news Garret Anderson and Ryan Church will attempt to return to the lineup on Tuesday. Both have been experiencing back problems but were not placed on the disabled list. Martin Prado also expects to return from headache problems. Tim Hudson could join Atlanta’s rotation soon after making a solid start for Triple-A Gwinnett.
By: Ben Burrows
MLBcenter.com Atlanta Braves Correspondent
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