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The Leading Logic In Sports Handicapping |
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ATLANTA (Ticker) -- All-Star Brian McCann and the Atlanta Braves
started off the second half on a positive note.
McCann delivered a three-run double and rookie Brent Lillibridge
added two hits and two RBI as the Braves posted their third
straight win, a 7-6 triumph over the Washington Nationals on
Friday.
Tim Hudson (10-7) improved to 8-1 lifetime against the Nationals
despite allowing five runs and nine hits in 6 2/3 innings. The
righthander, who walked one and struck out two, had lost four of
his previous six decisions.
"Normally, we're on the wrong end of these kind of games," said
Hudson, whose team won for just the sixth time in 28 one-run
games. "We got some two-out hits and scored a couple of runs.
It was nice to see. If we would have played this game the whole
season, our record would have been a lot better."
McCann has been nothing but impressive in his first four years
with Atlanta en route to becoming the first Brave to be named to
the National League All-Star team in each of his first three
full seasons in the majors. However, the 24-year-old catcher
sat around Yankee Stadium for most of Tuesday's epic 15-inning
contest before being inserted into the lineup in the last frame.
As has been the case the last three All-Star Games, McCann has
been behind the plate each time when the American League has
secured the victory. But things have gone much more smoothly
for the Atlanta native here at Turner Field.
McCann snapped a 2-2 tie with his double down the right field
line off Tim Redding (7-4) in the third inning. It was the 28th
two-base hit of the year for the slow-footed McCann, who later
scored on Mark Kotsay's single to give the Braves a 6-2 lead.
"I just closed my eyes and swung," joked McCann, who is third in
the National League in doubles. "We got some guys over and got
some big hits."
"He's been awesome," Hudson said. "It seems like every time I
pitch, he's doing something to drive in some runs. That's what
All-Star catchers do. He's a run producer. He's going to get
some runs for us one way or another."
The early run support was just enough for Hudson (10-7), who
improved to 104-2 when staked to a lead of three or more runs.
"It was one of those nights where I really didn't have a good
feeling where the ball was going," he said. "It was big to get
a nice lead. It took the pressure off."
Blaine Boyer recorded the final out of the seventh and first two
of the eighth before Will Ohman struck out Kory Casto to close
out the frame.
Trailing by two runs entering the ninth, Washington halved the
deficit on Paul Lo Duca's RBI groundout. But with the tying run
on third and two outs, Mike Gonzalez induced a flyout to right
field by Austin Kearns to preserve the victory and notch his
fourth save of the campaign - and 34th in a row, the longest
active streak in the major leagues.
"That's what happens when you don't throw for three days during
the All-Star break," said Gonzalez, who missed most of last
season and the first three months of 2008 due to "Tommy John"
surgery. "Today was the worst I felt since (the surgery). I
felt a little rusty. Thankfully, I got it out of the way."
Lillibridge gave Atlanta the lead with a two-run double in the
second inning, but Washington tied it in the third on RBI
singles by former Brave Ryan Langerhans and Lo Duca. Ronnie
Belliard cut the deficit to 6-3 with a run-scoring base hit in
the top of the sixth, but Kelly Johnson answered with one of his
own in the bottom half.
Washington chipped away in the sevent
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