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The Tomahawk Times - Braves take series from A's with 5-2 win in finale
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ATLANTA -- Interleague play has not been especially kind to the Atlanta Braves over the past four seasons, but they are off to a good start in 2008. Jo-Jo Reyes and four relievers combined to hold the Oakland Athletics to a pair of runs in a 5-2 victory on Sunday.
Yunel Escobar thrived in his role as lead-off man, scoring once and driving home two more runs as part of a 3-for-4 day. His two-run single in the second inning provided Reyes with a 3-1 lead.
Reyes (2-1) pitched into the sixth before departing with no one out in a 3-2 ballgame. On the afternoon, Reyes allowed two runs on eight hits, walking two and striking out six.
Oakland third baseman Jack Hannahan brought the A's to within one run with a with a booming double that brought in Emil Brown and spelled the end of the day for the Atlanta starter.
The Braves bullpen took over from there, continuing the trend of extremely strong relief of late. Jeff Bennett, Blaine Boyer, Will Ohman and Manny Acosta shut-out the A's over the final four frames, giving the pen a string of 16 straight scoreless innings.
Omar Infante came off the bench in the eighth inning to give the Braves a little insurance to take to the final inning. Atlanta has struggled in one-run contests this season, going just 2-12 thus far, but Infante's pinch-hit triple brought home two runs and expanded the lead to 5-2.
The loss went to A's starter Justin Duchscherer (3-3), who allowed three runs on seven hits and a pair of walks over five innings of work. Atlanta tacked the final two runs on the board in the eighth against former Brave Alan Embree.
After being saddled with a 4-11 record in Interleague games last season, the Braves took their first series against a Junior Circuit opponent this year. Atlanta moves to a Major League best 16-5 record at home, good for a .762 winning percentage.
Chipper Jones went 1-for-3 and has now hit safely in 34 of the 40 games he has played in this season. His average took a slight dip, down to .410 on the year, but he still paces the Majors in that category.
On Deck: The Braves host a crucial four game series against the New York Mets beginning Tuesday with a double-header. Tom Glavine will take the mound in the first game, to be opposed by John Maine of the Mets. Jorge Campillo is scheduled to make his first start of the season in the night cap, facing Claudio Vargas. Game times are set for 1:10 PM EST and 7:10 PM EST.
