About the Author
More By Grant McAuley
Other recent contributors
Other recent voters
The Tomahawk Times - Braves rough up Webb, take 7-3 finale over Arizona
| 4
|
ATLANTA -- A big day at the plate from a surging Mark Teixeira helped the Atlanta Braves score seven times against Brandon Webb on their way to a 7-3 victory and a split of the four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Teixeira collected two big hits and a season-hgih four RBI in his first two trips the plate, allowing the Braves to jump out to a 5-1 lead after two innings of play. His two-run double in the first and subsequent two-run single in the second were the big hits early.
Jair Jurrjens did last long enough to factor in the decision, becoming the second Braves starter this series to succumb to blister problems and the third consecutive starter who was unable to pitch at least five innings.
Arizona tried to get back into things against Jurrjens in the fifth, when Orlando Hudson connected for his fourth homer of the year. The blast cut the lead to 5-3 and spelled the end of the day for Jurrjens, who went just four and two thirds and allowed all three runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four.
Webb (9-2) suffered through his worst outing of the year, despite tying his season high with eight strikeouts. The Braves scored all seven of their runs on ten hits against Webb in just four and a third innings of work.
Two Braves extended hitting streak in the game. Brian McCann hit his ninth homer of the year in the fifth to push his streak to 13 games. Kelly Johnson singled in the sixth to extend his streak to a dozen games.
Atlanta was forced to scratch Mark Kotsay just prior to the game with soreness in his back. Gregor Blanco filled in and tied a career-high with three hits on the afternoon, boosting his average to .299 on the season.
Chipper Jones wrapped up a very productive homestand by going 1-for-3 with a pair of walks. He hit .406 on the on the stand and leads all of Major League Baseball with a .416 average this season.
With the split of the four game set, Atlanta's record now stands at 28-23, second place in the NL East. The Florida Marlins (29-20) still pace the division by two games over Atlanta heading into their matchup with the New York Mets on Monday.
On Deck: Atlanta embarks on a six-game road trip on Monday, when they start a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers. Tim Hudson will face Dave Bush in the opener. Game time is set for 8:05 PM EST.
