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Braves roll as Vazquez dominates Bucs
Prado, Ross homer as starter strikes out eight in six innings
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By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
04/19/09 6:40 PM ET
PITTSBURGH -- Having watched his team go scoreless over the previous 22 innings, Braves hitting coach Terry Pendleton provided some motivation by threatening to shave the heads of both Jair Jurrjens and Jeff Francoeur if the team encountered a third consecutive shutout loss.In relation to the club's recent offensive struggles, Jurrjens was just an innocent bystander, who had seen his strong effort go for naught when the Pirates opened this three-game series on Friday night with the first of two consecutive shutout victories.
But after Francoeur keyed a three-run first-inning that backed another impressive Javier Vazquez start and led the Braves to an 11-1 win victory over the Pirates at PNC Park on Sunday afternoon, Jurrjens found himself and many of his other teammates feeling a definite sense of relief.
"[Jurrjens] came and gave me a big hug after I came in the dugout after that hit," Francoeur said, referring to his two-out, two-run single that gave Vazquez an early cushion and marked the start of a rough afternoon for Zach Duke, who had been hoping to celebrate his 26th birthday in a more auspicious manner.
Instead of shaving their heads, Francoeur and Jurrjens found themselves traveling to Washington, D.C., amid a sense of joy that had been absent during the five-game losing streak that had preceded this series finale. While scoring just seven runs during that five-game stretch, the Braves obviously missed Chipper Jones, who returned just in time to help prevent the embarrassment of being swept in two consecutive series.
"You never want to get swept," said Vazquez, who did his part by scattering five hits and registering eight strikeouts over six scoreless innings.
Jones, who recorded a hit in three at-bats while feeling no concerning discomfort in his bruised left thumb, found himself jogging home with the game's first run on Francoeur's two-run single to center field off Duke, who was charged with six runs and 12 hits in six innings.
Garret Anderson, who had doubled with two outs, also scored on Francoeur's single. While doing so, the 36-year-old outfielder felt tightness in his left quad that led to him exit the game in the third inning.
Anderson has already missed four starts with a strained right calf that had caused him to miss most of Spring Training. The aging outfielder will be further evaluated on Monday.
"It just got tighter as the game went on, and I just didn't think it was smart to keep going," Anderson said.
Francoeur added a seventh-inning, two-out RBI double to give him six hits in his first 10 at-bats with two outs and runners in scoring position this year. Last year, he hit just .175 (14-for-80) in that situation.
"I always felt that was one of the things I always thought I was better at -- getting the timely hit for the team," Francoeur said. "After last year, hopefully I can get back to that."
During their five-game losing streak, the Braves hit just .190 with one homer. The absence of Jones was evident and greater magnified by the abdominal strain suffered by Yunel Escobar on Thursday. The 26-year-old shortstop is expected to be in the lineup for Monday night's series opener in Washington.
While the presence of both Jones and Escobar strengthens the lineup, some of the role players showed their capability while supporting Vazquez. Martin Prado provided some cushion with his three-run homer off Duke in the fourth, and David Ross blew the game wide open in the seventh inning with his own three-run shot.
Ross, who combined for 37 homers in 2006 and '07 with the Reds, could play a large role if the Braves are forced to spend an extended period without Brian McCann, who has been experiencing blurred vision in his left eye. The All-Star catcher will visit an eye specialist on Monday to get a better understanding about how much time he might miss.
"Rossy is a great backup guy that has power," manager Bobby Cox said of the veteran catcher, who also had a fourth-inning double. "He's a good one, and he's great on the club."
Another positive development was the three-hit game produced by rookie center fielder Jordan Schafer, who had recorded just one hit and struck out 13 times in his previous 20 at-bats. Utilizing his speed, he got himself back on track with the assistance of a fourth-inning bunt single.
"I tried to shorten up my swing," Schafer said. "A bunch of those swings I took before, I'd take big swings, then I'd have two strikes, and then I'd have to try to foul off tough pitches. If I can keep the same approach and just try to keep my swing short, I should be OK."
While notching his first win with the Braves, Vazquez avoided the bad luck that he'd experienced during his first two starts of the year. The Braves blew a seven-run, seventh-inning lead during his April 8 season debut in Philadelphia, and then didn't give him enough support on Wednesday when he recorded 12 strikeouts in six innings against the Marlins.
But the luckiest guys were Jurrjens and Francoeur.
"I don't think my wife would appreciate me showing up in Washington tonight without hair," Francoeur said.
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
