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Braves show resolve, top Redbirds
After losing lead in sloppy eighth, Atlanta rallies in ninth
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
09/12/09 9:55 PM ET
ST. LOUIS -- There likely would have been an even greater sense of excitement had the Braves experienced this kind of comeback victory a week ago. But they have to be credited with the fact they still are showing plenty of life while many essentially have already deemed the postseason hopes to be dead.Having looked nothing short of sloppy during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the Braves utilized Brian McCann's suddenly hot bat to stage a ninth-inning comeback that provided them a 7-6 win over the Cardinals.
"It was just a great win," Atlanta manager Bobby Cox said. "We were leading all day long and then got behind, and came right back. That's a good feeling."
After the Braves committed a pair of defensive miscues that allowed the Cardinals to gain a lead with their two-run eighth, Martin Prado followed Nate McLouth's ninth-inning leadoff double with a single off Ryan Franklin. An intentional walk to Chipper Jones loaded the bases and set the stage for McCann to drill his game-winning double off the Cardinals' All-Star closer, who suffered just his fourth blown save in 41 opportunities.
"It was a rough one, man," Franklin said. "I didn't have a really good feel for the first few batters. I found it, but it was too late. I'm not one to look for excuses or lean on excuses. I'd rather say that I just didn't get it done."
Heading into Thursday's series finale in Houston, McCann had recorded just five hits in his previous 46 at-bats. Including the three-hit performance that he capped with his game-winning double to deep center field, the All-Star catcher now has eight hits in his past 13 at-bats.
"I was in a funk and I wasn't really swinging the bat," McCann said. "That happens. In baseball, you try to minimize your slumps and try to ride the hot streaks. But, unfortunately this year, I hit a stretch where I was about as bad as I can be."
While being swept by the Reds last weekend and extending their losing streak to five games, the Braves picked the wrong time to be at their worst. Even while winning four of their first five games on this road trip, they still find themselves seven games behind the first-place Phillies in the National League East race.
"We just need to keep winning games and see what happens," said McCann, who understands the obstacle is steep with just 20 games remaining.
McCann's clutch hit at least allowed Tim Hudson to savor another effective mound performance that actually was trumped by the two-run second-inning homer he drilled over the left-center-field wall off Kyle Lohse. It marked the first time the veteran pitcher homered since playing against Lance Berkman and the Rice Owls during the 1997 College World Series.
"Obviously it's been a while since I trotted around the bases like that," said Hudson, who hit 18 homers during his senior season at Auburn University. "It felt good. I was really scared that I was going to go my whole career without hitting one. It was exciting. It felt as good or better than any shutout that I've thrown."
Lohse, who was charged with four earned runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings, reacted in disbelief when he saw Hudson turn his outside fastball into a keepsake.
"It wasn't like I laid one down the middle," Lohse said. "It's just one of those where you shake your head and can't believe what just happened."
Making his third start since returning from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, Hudson allowed four runs and 10 hits in five-plus innings. The 34-year-old right-hander allowed four consecutive hits during a two-run first inning and exited after surrendering three straight hits to begin the sixth.
"My location with some pitches just wasn't where I wanted," Hudson said. "They were ground balls. But with a little better location, I think they were outs. It was a battle for me. It was a game where I had to just grind through it and dig deep and try to get some outs."
Three of the most crucial outs of the game were recorded by Peter Moylan, who entered a one-run game in the sixth with runners on first and second and no outs. After a successful double-steal attempt put the go-ahead run at second base, the right-handed reliever responded with a pair of strikeouts and then escaped the jam with a Brendan Ryan groundout.
"That's what we get paid to do," said Moylan, who recorded two more strikeouts during a scoreless seventh inning. "To get out of that feels awesome."
Mike Gonzalez got himself in trouble by opening up the eighth with a five-pitch walk to Mark DeRosa, who utilized a wild pitch and a stolen base to reached third base with just one out. Yadier Molina followed with a line-drive single that fell out of Yunel Escobar's glove, and Prado botched two potential double-play grounders, including the go-ahead one produced by Ryan.
"Both teams just kept coming back," Cox said. "It was one of those crazy games."
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
