NewsBraves break out big bats in finale win
Vazquez throws seven shutout innings to earn 11th victory
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
08/27/09 11:52 PM ET
ATLANTA -- Maybe it was a little premature to claim that the Braves' postseason hopes died when they lost a second consecutive game to the Padres on Wednesday night.When the Braves completed their 9-1 win over the Padres at Turner Field on Thursday night, there was no reason to question their focus or wonder if the demoralizing losses they'd experienced over the course of the previous 48 hours had destroyed their will to compete.
"This was as close to a must-win as you're going to find in late August," Chipper Jones said. "If we lose this game, this is a series that you look back on and say, 'That really killed us.' But we fought back like we have all year after playing a real bad game last night. We played about as good as we possibly could tonight."
While backing Javier Vazquez's seven scoreless innings with a nine-run attack, the Braves prevented feeling the embarrassment of being swept by the Padres and also took advantage of the fact that both the Phillies and Rockies had lost.
When the Braves begin a three-game series against the Phillies on Friday night, they'll be seven games behind the defending World Series champs in the National League East race. Providing more reason for encouragement is that the Braves lost two of three to the Padres and still find themselves just 4 1/2 games behind the Rockies in the Wild Card chase.
"All the teams that are losing are the right teams, which is good, so we'll keep trucking," said Braves manager Bobby Cox, whose team entered this three-game series facing the exact same deficits in both postseason races.
While recording six singles during a five-run second inning against Clayton Richard, the Braves matched the hit total they'd recorded during Tuesday night's series-opening defeat and also provided Vazquez more than enough support to snap his own two-game losing streak.
Vazquez scattered five hits and accounted for the game's first two runs with a second-inning RBI single that skirted under Padres right fielder Will Venable's glove. With a sizeable lead, the 34-year-old right-hander was given the opportunity to exit after just 88 pitches and preserve some of the energy that could prove beneficial down the stretch.
"We knew Javy would keep us in it," Jones said. "It was just a matter of if we could score runs off a guy we hadn't seen before."
Richard, who was 4-0 with a 2.72 ERA in his previous seven starts, helped Jones halt his recent slump with singles in the first two innings. The veteran third baseman, who entered the game with just one hit in his previous 32 at-bats, was robbed of a potential bases-clearing hit in the third, when Tony Gwynn made a sensational diving grab in left-center field.
"That guy made a great play," Jones said. "You've got to tip your cap. That at-bat right there is going to go with me to Philly. If Pedro [Martinez] makes some mistakes tomorrow, hopefully, I'll jump on them."
While Jones gained some confidence heading toward Philadelphia, Matt Diaz enjoyed a three-hit game, including an RBI single in the second inning. Diaz has recorded 14 hits in his past 24 at-bats.
"He's swinging the bat super right now," Cox said of Diaz, who has had no trouble adapting to the unfamiliar leadoff role both of the past two nights.
Each of the nine hits the Braves registered against Richard were singles. In fact, the only extra-base hit they recorded during their 17-hit onslaught came courtesy of Adam LaRoche's sixth-inning solo homer off Edward Mujica.
While the offense gained most of the spotlight, Vazquez provided the effort the Braves needed to erase the sting they'd gained on Wednesday night, when their 3-0 advantage was erased by a destructive six-run sixth inning.
Vazquez, who threw 63 of his 88 pitches for strikes, allowed singles to two of the first three hitters he faced in the third inning. But with runners at the corners, he escaped this threat by getting the always-dangerous Adrian Gonzalez to ground out.
"He's a very, very solid pitcher," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Tonight, he was on. He had tremendous use of the fastball tonight, which made him effective."
Backed by Vazquez's effort and an impressive offensive attack that included hits from 10 different players, the Braves now head to Philadelphia with some momentum and spirit that obviously wasn't killed during the first two games of this series.
"We feel we had the first game and we should have won this series," Diaz said. "But to avoid a sweep and to win in convincing fashion gives us a lot of confidence heading on the road."
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
