(Sports Network) – The Atlanta Braves have been giving baseball fans their
money’s worth with eight extra-inning games in their last 18 contests. They
have played 17 innings of extended baseball since May 11 and are 6-6 in 12
extra-inning games so far this season.

Atlanta will try to bounce back from Monday’s 3-2 loss in 10 innings to the
San Diego Padres tonight in the middle contest of this three-game set. Kyle
Phillips belted a solo homer off of Braves reliever George Sherrill in the top
of the 10th inning and Padres closer Heath Bell shut the door on the Braves
with a 1-2-3 bottom half to preserve the win and capture his 13th save.

While Sherrill absorbed the loss, Braves veteran starter Tim Hudson lasted six
innings and allowed two runs, one of which was earned, and five hits. Hudson
struck out seven and did not walk a batter.

“It was a tough loss. It’s another one of those where I feel like we should
have won,” said Hudson. “We’ve got to come out tomorrow and try to get some
momentum going, try to get a ‘W’ on the board.”

Brian McCann returned to the lineup after a day off of rest to finish 3-for-5
with two RBI. Freddie Freeman recorded a pair of hits for Atlanta, which
entered the game with five wins in seven tries and fell to 2-2 on a six-game
homestand. Chipper Jones came on to pinch-hit in the ninth and stayed in the
game at third base. Jones is dealing with a torn meniscus in his right knee
that could require surgery.

“I can still play right now,” Jones told the Braves’ website. “If [the
discomfort] ever gets to the point where it was the day I got the MRI, we
might need to make a decision. It’s doable now.”

Martin Prado had a hit last night to extend his home hitting streak to 19
games. Prado is batting .358 with six homers and 25 RBI in Atlanta’s 30 wins
this season. He is batting below .200 in the 25 losses.

Braves young hurler Mike Minor gets the call Tuesday and will make the 12th
appearance (11th start) of his career. He lost at Milwaukee on April 6 in a
5-4 loss, allowing all five runs in 4 1/3 innings, then toed the rubber in a
4-2 win at Pittsburgh. Minor did not record a decision against the Pirates and
tossed 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball.

Minor, a left-hander, has never faced San Diego and was the seventh overall
selection in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.

The Padres have won three in a row and four of five games since a five-game
losing streak and improved to 3-1 on a six-game road trip with Monday’s 3-2
victory in extra innings.

Phillips was the hero with his solo homer in the 10th and Ryan Ludwick drove
in the first two runs for San Diego, which got two hits from Eric Patterson
and six innings of two-run ball out of starter Aaron Harang. Chad Qualls
collected the win with a scoreless ninth and Bell shut the Braves down with a
strikeout during the ninth.

“Obviously to hit a game-winning homer for my hometown team, a team I grew up
watching born and raised in San Diego, it’s pretty special,” said Phillips.
“To come in late in the game and put a good swing on the ball, have some
results, it’s kind of icing on the cake for us as well.”

Padres center fielder Cameron Maybin did not play for a third straight game to
rest his right knee and may have to undergo an MRI. Maybin is hitting .254
with five homers and 15 RBI this season and has been replaced by Blake Tekotte
in the field.

Since beginning the season 0-5 with a 4.86 earned run average over his first
six starts, Padres starter Mat Latos has won two of three trips to the hill
with a 2.75 ERA over that stretch. Latos gets the call tonight and is coming
off eight innings of one-run ball in a 3-1 win over St. Louis last Wednesday.

Latos, a right-hander, tied a season high with seven strikeouts against the
Cardinals and is just 1-2 in three road starts this season. He lost to Atlanta
at home back on April 27, when he allowed six runs — one earned — in five
innings of a 7-0 setback from Petco Park. He is 1-2 with a 2.28 ERA in four
career starts against the Braves.

The Braves won two of three meetings in San Diego from April 25-27 and have
won six of the previous nine matchups between the two clubs.

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Read More: Heath Bell (P – SDP), Chad Qualls (P – SDP), Dan Uggla (2B – ATL), Aaron Harang (P – SDP), Ryan Ludwick (LF – SDP), Brian McCann (C – ATL), Tim Hudson (P – ATL), Martin Prado (LF – ATL), George Sherrill (P – ATL), Eric Patterson (CF – SDP), Alberto Gonzalez (SS – SDP), Jordan Schafer (CF – ATL), Freddie Freeman (1B – ATL), San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves dropped their Memorial Day match up with the San Diego Padres 3-2 in 10 innings. San Diego’s Kyle Philips solo home run in the tenth off of George Sherrill provided the difference. Extra inning affairs are becoming the norm for the Braves who have now played eight extra-inning games in their last eighteen overall. 

Tim Hudson returned to the mound after skipping a turn with a sore back. The Padres got on the board early in the first. Eric Patterson singled to start the game, stole second, and then reached third on a Tim Hudson throwing error. Patterson scored on a Ryan Ludwick ground out giving San Diego a 1-0 lead. 

Atlanta answered right back in the bottom half. Jordan Schafer worked a walk to lead off the game but was erased on a Martin Prado fielders choice. Brian McCann then drove a deep double to center field that scored Prado from first. 

The Padres added another run in the third. With one out, Aaron Harang and Eric Patterson recorded back to back singles. Alberto Gonzalez then flew out to Jordan Schafer in center who threw behind Harang at second after the pitcher had wandered too far off the bag. However, Dan Uggla couldn’t handle the throw and Harang was safe at second with two outs. Ludwick followed with an RBI single, giving the Padres back the lead at 2-1. 

Once again Atlanta answered right back in the bottom half of the inning. After a Martin Prado one out double, Brian McCann singled to right scoring Prado and once again tying the game. 

The score would remain 2-2 until the top half of the tenth when Phillips homered off of Sherrill. The blast was Phillips’ first Major League home run. Atlanta went quietly in the bottom half of the tenth against closer Heath Bell. 

Hudson looked sharp and recovered from his back injury. He lasted six innings, allowed five hits and one earned run while striking out seven. Sherrill takes the loss for the Braves evening his record on the season at 1-1. Chad Qualls earns the victory for the Padres with a scoreless inning of relief work. Heath Bell came on for his 13th save of the season. 

Brian McCann accounted for both of the Braves runs while going 3 for 5 at the plate. Freddie Freeman added two hits while Jordan Schafer was 1 for 3 with two walks. Ryan Ludwick and Eric Patterson each had two hits for the Padres. 

AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser

San Diego Padres pitcher Aaron Harang throws against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning of a baseball game at Turner Field, Monday, May 30, 2011, in Atlanta.

Pinch-hitter Kyle Phillips broke a 2-all tie in the 10th inning with his first career home run and the San Diego Padres beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 Monday for their third straight win.
Phillips, a rookie with a .167 average in 30 at-bats, led off the inning and hit the second pitch from George Sherrill (1-1).
Heath Bell pitched the 10th for his 13th save in 14 opportunities. Chad Qualls (3-2) earned the victory with a scoreless ninth, giving up one walk and facing four batters.
For a fourth straight start, San Diego’s Aaron Harang didn’t earn a decision, but he was sharp, allowing six hits, two runs and two walks with five strikeouts.
In his last three starts, Harang has a 1.29 ERA.
Tim Hudson, the Braves’ starter, allowed five hits and two runs — one earned — with no walks and seven strikeouts in six innings.
Hudson missed his previous start with lower stiffness.
The Padres led 1-0 in the first when Eric Patterson singled, stole second, moved to third on Hudson’s pickoff attempt and scored on Ryan Ludwick’s RBI groundout.
Atlanta tied it at 1-1 on Brian McCann’s RBI double.
In the third, San Diego went up 2-1 on Ludwick’s RBI bloop single. The 6-foot-7, 261-pound Harang lumbered around from second to score.
McCann’s RBI single scored Martin Prado from second to make it 2-2 in Atlanta’s third.
Scott Proctor pitched a scoreless seventh, Cory Gearrin a scoreless eighth for Atlanta and Jonny Venters a scoreless ninth after escaping a bases-loaded jam for Atlanta.
San Diego reliever Ernest Frieri escaped a jam in the seventh with a runners on first and third when Martin Prado popped out. In the eighth, Mike Adams stranded a pair of runners in eighth by striking out Alex Gonzalez.
Bell earned the save on flyouts by Prado and McCann and a strikeout of Eric Hinske.
Ludwick, who has 22 RBIs this month, began the day tied for third in the NL this month with 20.
Notes: Braves 2B Dan Uggla’s went 0 for 3 with a walk and two strikeouts, dropping his average two points to .178. … Padres 1B Brad Hawpe stayed in the game despite slamming his right forearm against a concrete wall in the fifth. Hawpe stretched out over a rolled-up rain tarp and made the catch as 2B Logan Forsythe accidentally hit him from behind.

A pair of veteran pitchers will go toe-to-toe today at
Turner Field, where Tim Hudson will lead his Atlanta Braves against Aaron
Harang and the San Diego Padres in the opener of a three-game series.

Hudson hasn’t won since a May 4 performance versus Milwaukee, going 0-2 with a
7.47 earned run average in three starts since. He previously took the hill in
a 9-0 defeat against the Angels in Anaheim and allowed eight runs on seven
hits and three walks in a season-low 3 2/3 innings.

The right-hander, who is 4-4 with a 3.95 ERA in 10 starts this season, will
try to stay unbeaten in his career against San Diego. Hudson has faced the
Padres nine times in his career — making eight starts — and is 5-0 with a
3.54 earned run average.

Atlanta won two of three matchups with Cincinnati over the weekend and is
coming off Sunday night’s 2-1 victory over the Reds. Martin Prado’s two-run
homer in the sixth inning was the difference and Jair Jurrjens pushed his
record to 7-1 with eight innings of one-run ball. Craig Kimbrel notched his
15th save with a scoreless ninth.

“JJ gave us everything he had,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “It was a
good ballgame.”

Prado also made a great throw from left field in the eighth inning to gun down
Paul Janish at the plate and preserve the lead. Atlanta has won five of its
last seven games, while Braves catcher Brian McCann got Sunday off after
belting two homers in an extra-inning win over Cincinnati on Saturday. David
Ross was behind the plate last night and went 1-for-3.

McCann is expected to be back in the lineup today and is batting .471 with two
homers and five RBI against Harang. Harang has recorded three straight no-
decisions since beating Arizona on May 8 and last pitched in Tuesday’s 3-2
loss versus St. Louis. He gave up two runs — one earned — in seven innings.

The right-hander lost to Atlanta on April 26 in an 8-2 setback, as he allowed
all eight runs in six innings. Harang is 1-3 with a 4.72 earned run average in
eight career starts against the Braves.

San Diego won two of three matchups in Washington and won for the third time
in four tries with Sunday’s 5-4 triumph. Ryan Ludwick singled home Jorge Cantu
with one out in the top of the ninth inning for the Padres, who got three hits
out of Ludwick and two hits and two RBI from Brad Hawpe.

Dustin Moseley started for the Friars and did not record a decision after he
gave up three runs — two earned — in five innings. Luke Gregerson earned the
win in relief, tossing two scoreless frames, and Heat Bell closed the door in
the ninth for his 12th save.

“We had a tough stretch over the last 10 games,” Padres manager Bud Black said
on the club’s site. “We have to play a better, complete game all around.
Everyone’s got to pick it up.”

San Diego outfielder Cameron Maybin could be back in the starting lineup today
and missed both weekend games to rest a sore right knee.

The Padres are 2-1 on a six-game road trip through Washington and Atlanta. The
Braves won two of three meetings in San Diego from April 25-27 and have won
six of the previous eight matchups between the two clubs.

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

By Rob Neyer

– National Baseball Editor

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May 30, 2011 – Whether it’s the Jonny Venters-like grip on his sinking fastball or something else, Jair Jurrjens somewhat suddenly looks like one of the best pitchers in the National League, all the more so after pitching the Atlanta Braves to a 2-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds Sunday night.

Not that Jurrjens’ seventh victory — against just one defeat — came easy. In the first inning, Jurrjens hung a change-up to Jay Bruce, who deposited the pitch beyond the right-field fence, 456 feet beyond, for his league-leading 15th home run.

The score was still 1-0 after five innings, with Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto pitching a gem of his own. But in the bottom of the sixth, Braves center fielder Jordan Schafer worked a leadoff walk after fouling off three straight 2-2 pitches. Next up, Martin Prado — whose numbers have been down this season — took two pitches for balls, then drove Cueto’s 93-m.p.h. fastball, right down the middle, over the left-field fence for his seventh homer of the season, putting the Braves up 2-1.

And of course that’s how things ended. But there was some drama yet left.

In the top of the 8th, with Jurrjens still on the mound, Paul Janish led off with a single and moved to second on Cueto’s sacrifice bunt. To nobody’s real surprise, National League strikeout leader Drew Stubbs struck out. Also to nobody’s real surprise, Brandon Phillips followed with line-drive single to left field. Prado fielded the ball cleanly and unleashed an accurate throw homeward, where David Ross tagged Janish just in time.

According to umpire Dan Iassogna, anyway. Replays suggested that Janish’s foot scrapped the plate just before Ross applied the tag, but then replays suggest a lot of things that don’t get into the record books. Whatever actually happened, Janis was out, the inning over and the Braves still ahead.

Having thrown only 97 pitches, Jurrjens gave way to Craig Kimbrel in the ninth inning. Kimbrel’s struggled some lately, and he got into some real trouble in this game, too. Joey Votto led off with a walk. And after Scott Rolen popped out and Bruce struck out, Fred Lewis singled Votto into scoring position. But Kimbrel finally finished off the Reds — and earned his 15th save — by striking out Ramon Hernandez swinging at a high fastball, 98 miles an hour.

Meanwhile, Jurrjens now leads Major League Baseball with a 1.51 ERA.

For more about the Braves and the Reds, please visit Talking Chop and Red Reporter.

Read More: Martin Prado (LF – ATL), Jair Jurrjens (P – ATL), Paul Janish (SS – CIN), Johnny Cueto (P – CIN), Jay Bruce (RF – CIN), Craig Kimbrel (P – ATL), Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves

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Jair Jurrjens is racking up wins, so he quickly offered to donate his latest to Martin Prado.Jurrjens outpitched Johnny Cueto, Prado hit a two-run homer and the Atlanta Braves beat Cincinnati 2-1 on Sunday night, putting an end to the Reds’ damaging road trip.Prado also helped on defense by throwing out Paul Janish at the plate in the eighth inning to keep the Braves in front. Janish tried to score from second base on Brandon Phillips’ single to left field.”Oh, he won the game,” Jurrjens said of Prado. “He hits a two-run homer and throws a guy out at home. He was the one who won the game today.”Prado’s throw got to the plate first, but Janish appeared to slide home safely as catcher David Ross applied a high tag. Janish and manager Dusty Baker argued the call with home plate umpire Dan Iassogna.”I had a great angle,” Baker said. “I was down at the end of the dugout. Clearly, clearly it looked like he missed him. He missed him six inches to a foot. I could see it.”It’s a shame.”Janish said he didn’t think Ross made the tag.”I looked at the replay and upon review, I didn’t realize the ball beat me by quite so much,” Janish said. “So from the umpire’s perspective, I can understand why it was such a close call. It was just a tough play and it happened so fast.”I just didn’t feel like he tagged me. But that’s the way it goes.”Jurrjens (7-1), backing up the throw behind home plate, had a good view of the tag. He laughed when asked about Iassogna’s call.”It’s a bang-bang play,” Jurrjens said.”I can’t say a lot about that. I’m just happy it went our way.”Prado said he thought of Saturday night’s 4-hour, 7-6 win over the Reds in 12 innings as he prepared to make the throw to the plate.”The first thing that crossed my mind was I don’t want to play extra innings again,” Prado said.The Reds lost two of three to the Braves to complete a 2-8 road trip. The Reds left Cincinnati a half-game out of first place in the NL Central and finished the trip five games behind first-place St. Louis.Jay Bruce hit a drive to right-center in the second inning for the Reds’ only run. It was Bruce’s NL-best 15th homer.Jurrjens lowered his NL-leading ERA to 1.51. The right-hander gave up six hits, struck out five and walked two in eight innings.He has not allowed more than two runs in any of his first nine starts.”J.J. gave us everything he had,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “It was a good ballgame, good old-fashioned pitching.”Craig Kimbrel stranded two baserunners in the ninth for his 15th save. Kimbrel walked Joey Votto on four straight pitches to open the inning before giving up a two-out single to Fred Lewis, putting runners on first and second. Kimbrel struck out Ramon Hernandez to end the game.Cueto blanked the Braves for five innings before walking Jordan Schafer to lead off the sixth and giving up Prado’s seventh homer just over the reach of Lewis in left field.Cueto (2-2) gave up five hits in eight innings.”That’s a shame that Johnny has to lose that game,” Baker said.Bruce had two hits one day after he was hitless in six at-bats while twice hitting infield grounders with the bases loaded in the Reds’ 7-6 loss in 12 innings.The Braves flubbed an opportunity after Alex Gonzalez and Ross had one-out singles in the fifth. Jurrjens dropped a bunt in front of home plate which catcher Hernandez grabbed before throwing to third baseman Scott Rolen to start a double play.