PHILADELPHIA (AP)—The Atlanta Braves have a message for the Philadelphia
Phillies: They’re not going to let them run away with the NL East.

Alex Gonzalez(notes) hit the go-ahead RBI single and Brian McCann(notes) added a two-run
homer in the 11th inning to lift the Braves to a 4-1 victory over the Phillies
on Saturday. It was the second straight extra-inning game for the teams,
following Philadelphia’s 3-2 victory in 10 innings Friday.

“We have to keep close to these guys,” said Gonzalez after the Braves
pulled within 2 1/2 games of the Phillies. “Both teams have great teams. We’re
still fighting and we want to keep it close.”

The Braves (54-37) have won 10 of 12. Meanwhile, Philadelphia (56-34)
remains one win shy of tying the club record for victories in the first half.

“It’s basically the same game as (Friday) night,” Braves manager Fredi
Gonzalez said. “Our bullpen held today and we win. The teams are so evenly
matched. Runs are hard to come by. Starting pitching has been outstanding both
games. You’re going to get games like this.”

Philadelphia starter Cliff Lee(notes) accounted for the Phillies’ only run with his
first career homer off Tommy Hanson(notes), but both pitchers were gone by the time
this one ended.

Pinch-hitter Eric Hinske(notes) led off the 11th for the Braves with a walk off
Michael Stutes(notes) (3-1), and pinch-runner Wilkin Ramirez(notes) went to second on Jordan
Schafer’s(notes) sacrifice. First baseman Ryan Howard(notes) could have gotten the second out,
but he failed to make a tough over-the-shoulder catch of Gonzalez’s foul pop
fly. It was ruled “no play,” and two pitches later, Gonzalez lined a single to
center, scoring Ramirez and putting the Braves ahead 2-1.

“He usually catches that ball most of the time,” Phillies manager Charlie
Manuel said.

Added Howard: “It kind of slipped through my glove. I thought I had it and
I should’ve made the play, but you can’t do anything about it now.”

McCann followed by launching Stutes’ 1-2 pitch into the seats in right.

“I was getting my pitches up and I paid for it,” Stutes said.

George Sherrill(notes) (2-1) worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the 10th to earn
the victory, allowing two hits and striking out one. Craig Kimbrel(notes) pitched a
scoreless 11th for his 28th save in 33 chances.

“It’s big. We want to come in here and win the series and that’s what we
try to do with everybody,” Hanson said. “Playing in a tough place against a
really good team, it’s good to even the series and have a chance to win it
tomorrow. … It’s a huge series and I think everybody knows that.”

Neither Lee nor Hanson earned a decision, although both were worthy of a
win. Lee pitched eight innings, allowing three hits and striking out nine while
walking two. Lee had won each of his last six home starts and now stands at 7-1
at home while lowering his ERA to 1.61 at Citizens Bank Park this season.

After having his 34-inning scoreless streak snapped in his last start at
Toronto, when he gave up seven runs—six earned—in 7 1-3 innings, Lee was
back to being the pitcher who went 5-0 with a 0.21 ERA in June. His only blemish
Saturday was Dan Uggla’s(notes) homer on the first pitch of the fifth inning. Other
than that, Lee allowed just one baserunner to reach second.

“We know it’s a good series,” Lee said. “They’ve been playing well and
are right behind us. They have an unbelievable bullpen and starting pitching and
it showed the last couple of days.”

Hanson was equally dominant, scattering four hits while striking out six and
walking one. Aside from Lee’s third-inning solo homer, the only Phillies batter
to advance to second was John Mayberry(notes) Jr., who doubled in the sixth. The
right-hander was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning after tossing
seven innings, and the no-decision snapped Hanson’s career-high streak of five
straight wins.

“Going up against a pitcher like (Lee), you always want to go up against
the best and see what you’ve got against the best,” Hanson said. “Besides the
ball he hit out, I felt like I did a pretty good job.”

Lee homered on a 3-2 count, on the 10th pitch he saw, into the first row in
right-center to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead in the third. He pumped his fist
slightly while rounding first once the ball cleared the fence. Lee, who entered
8 for 39 (.205), was given a curtain call by the crowd of 45,637, the Phillies’
171st straight sellout.

“He put a good swing on it,” Hanson said. “Nothing you can do, just tip
the hat and he got me.”

Added Lee: “Anytime you do anything to help the team in a positive way, you
definitely feel good. It was a first for me in my career and hopefully I get an
opportunity to do something like that again.”

After Lee had retired 11 straight, Uggla tied it at 1 by belting Lee’s first
pitch of the fifth inning to deep left field.

Philadelphia reliever Antonio Bastardo(notes) pitched a scoreless ninth, extending
his scoreless streak to 15 innings. The left-hander has allowed just one hit in
45 at-bats during the stretch.

Bastardo struck out Uggla to end the ninth, and the Braves’ second baseman
dropped his bat, argued with plate umpire Mike Everitt before tossing his helmet
toward the dugout in frustration. Fredi Gonzalez came out to argue, as well,
although neither was tossed.

The Phillies loaded the bases in the 10th off Sherrill, but the left-hander
got Mayberry to ground out to first to end the frame.

“Our pitching is right there,” McCann said. “You’ve seen the last two
nights. We’re going to hang in there until the end. Our guys are coming in and
putting zeros out of the bullpen on a nightly basis. Our pitchers are matching
them pitch for pitch. It’s been fun to be a part of.”

Notes: Braves All-Star 3B Chipper Jones(notes) was placed on the disabled list
before Saturday’s game with a torn meniscus in his right knee. Jones had a
procedure Saturday in Atlanta and likely will miss 2-3 weeks. … Utley went 0
for 4 and had his 11-game hitting streak snapped. … Phillies All-Star 3B
Placido Polanco(notes) missed his fifth straight game with a back injury. … The last
Philadelphia pitcher to homer was Chan Ho Park(notes), on April 25, 2009, against
Florida.

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — Alex Gonzalez hit the go-ahead RBI single and Brian McCann added a two-run homer in the 11th inning to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.

It was the second straight extra-inning game for the teams, following Philadelphia’s 3-2 victory in 10 innings Friday.

The Braves (54-37) have won 10 of 12, and closed the Phillies’ lead in the NL East to 2.5 games. Philadelphia (56-34) remains one win shy of tying the club record for victories in the first half.

Philadelphia starter Cliff Lee accounted for the Phillies’ only run with his first career homer off Tommy Hanson, but both pitchers were gone by the time this one ended.

Pinch-hitter Eric Hinske led off the 11th for the Braves with a walk off Michael Stutes (3-1), and pinch-runner Wilkin Ramirez went to second on Jordan Schafer’s sacrifice. First baseman Ryan Howard could have gotten the second out, but he failed to make a tough over-the-shoulder catch of Gonzalez’s foul pop fly. It was ruled “no play,” and two pitches later, Gonzalez lined a single to center, scoring Ramirez and putting the Braves ahead 2-1.

McCann followed by launching Stutes’ 1-2 pitch into the seats in right.

George Sherrill (2-1) worked out of a bases loaded jam in the 10th to earn the victory, allowing two hits and striking out one. Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless 11th for his 28th save in 33 chances.

Neither Lee nor Hanson earned a decision, although both were worthy of a win. Lee pitched eight innings, allowing three hits and striking out nine while walking two. Lee had won each of his past six home starts and now stands at 7-1 at home while lowering his ERA to 1.61 at Citizens Bank Park this season.

After having his 34-inning scoreless streak snapped in his last start at Toronto, when he gave up seven runs — six earned — in 7.1 innings, Lee was back to being the pitcher who went 5-0 with a 0.21 ERA in June. His only blemish Saturday was Dan Uggla’s homer on the first pitch of the fifth inning. Other than that, Lee allowed just one base runner to reach second.

Hanson was equally dominant, scattering four hits while striking out six and walking one. Aside from Lee’s third-inning solo homer, the only Phillies batter to advance to second was John Mayberry Jr., who doubled in the sixth. The right-hander was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning after tossing seven innings, and the no-decision snapped Hanson’s career-high streak of five straight wins.

Lee homered on a 3-2 count, on the 10th pitch he saw, into the first row in right-center to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead in the third. He pumped his fist slightly while rounding first once the ball cleared the fence. Lee, who entered 8 for 39 (.205), was given a curtain call by the crowd of 45,637, the Phillies’ 171st straight sellout.

After Lee had retired 11 straight, Uggla tied it at 1 by belting Lee’s first pitch of the fifth inning to deep left field.

Hanson, who entered holding hitters to a league-low .192 batting average, retired 10 straight after Lee’s homer before Mayberry’s two-out double to left in the sixth. After walking Chase Utley to put runners on first and second, Hanson struck out Howard with a 75 mph curve.

Atlanta got a runner to second with two outs in the eighth when Schafer reached on a bunt single and went to second on Lee’s throwing error. But Lee struck out Gonzalez to end the threat.

Philadelphia reliever Antonio Bastardo pitched a scoreless ninth, extending his scoreless streak to 15 innings. The left-hander has allowed just one hit in 45 at-bats during the stretch. Bastardo struck out Uggla to end the ninth, and the Braves’ second baseman dropped his bat, argued with plate umpire Mike Everitt before tossing his helmet toward the dugout in frustration. Manager Fredi Gonzalez came out to argue, as well, although neither was ejected.

Philadelphia left-hander Juan Perez, who struck out the side on nine pitches Friday, struck out two in a perfect 10th.

Atlanta’s Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty combined to pitch two hitless innings in relief of Hanson, while Sherrill worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth. The Phillies loaded the bases in the 10th off Sherrill, but the left-hander got Mayberry to ground out to first to end the frame.

JONES OUT: Braves All-Star 3B Chipper Jones was placed on the disabled list before Saturday’s game with a torn meniscus in his right knee. Jones had a procedure Saturday in Atlanta and likely will miss two or three weeks.

Raul Ibanez made sure the Philadelphia Phillies would be in first place at the All-Star Game.

Ibanez’s solo home run to right on a 2-0 pitch from Scott Proctor in the 10th inning lifted the Phillies past the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in front of 45,403 fans at Citizens Bank Park.

The win moved the Phillies (56-33) 3 1/2 games ahead of the Braves (53-37) in the National League East and assures that no matter what happens in the rest of the three-game set with Atlanta the Phils will enter the All-Star break in first place.

The Phils got tremendous bullpen pitching again with Michael Stutes, Antonio Bastardo and Juan Perez (1-0) each tossing a scoreless inning. Perez earned his first win of the season by striking out the side in the top of the 10th. Roy Halladay tossed seven strong innings but did not factor in the decision.

Carlos Ruiz’s solo homer in the fifth tied the game at 2 after Atlanta had taken the lead on Dan Uggla’s RBI single in the top of the inning.

The Braves’ loss was just their fourth in their last 18 games.

The series will continue Saturday afternoon (4:10) with Cliff Lee (9-6) for the Phils against Tommy Hanson (10-4) for the Braves.

CBSSports.com wire reports
May 15, 2011

ATLANTA — Dan Uggla needed a breakout game.

The surprise was the Braves second baseman found his hitting stroke against Phillies ace Roy Halladay.

Uggla hit a tiebreaking home run off Halladay in the eighth inning to cap a productive afternoon, and Atlanta beat Philadelphia 3-2 on Sunday to win twice in the three-game series.

Uggla, who began the day hitting only .196, had two hits and a walk and scored each of the Braves’ runs. It was his first multihit game since having three hits against Milwaukee on May 4.

“You see how bad I’ve been scuffling so far this year,” Uggla said. “It feels good to be able to feel like you contributed.”

Uggla came to the Braves in an offseason trade with Florida. Atlanta was looking for a right-handed power bat in the middle of lineup.

“It just helps you feel more a part of the team,” Uggla said. “I already do. The guys have made me feel welcome. Even so, you still want to do your part.”

Uggla hit a 3-2 pitch from Halladay for his seventh homer, barely clearing the wall in left-center to lead off the eighth. It was only the second homer given up by Halladay this season.

“Uggla’s been struggling,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “He stays at it. He kept swinging until he hit one. When he gets going, he gives them some big pop in the middle of their lineup.”

Ernie Banks, Morgan Freeman and Carlos Santana received Beacon Awards and Hank Aaron was honored before baseball’s annual Civil Rights Game.

Freddie Freeman drove in two runs for Atlanta, Jonny Venters (3-0) pitched a perfect eighth and Craig Kimbrel recorded the final three outs for his 10th save.

Pinch-hitter Ben Francisco led off the ninth with a walk, and he moved to second with two outs on a wild pitch. Kimbrel ended the game on Jimmy Rollins’ soft fly ball to left field.

John Mayberry had a two-run homer for Philadelphia.

Halladay (5-3) gave up eight hits and three runs in eight innings, striking out seven with a pair of walks.

The Braves won two of three from the Phillies for the second time in 10 days after winning a series in Philadelphia on May 6-8.

“It keeps us inching to where we want to be,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “We’re not there right now.”

Tim Hudson pitched seven strong innings and combined with Venters and Kimbrel on a four-hitter.

“Our hitting’s got to pick up,” Manuel said. “We’ll find somebody. We’ll look until we find somebody.”

Hudson had an injury scare in the fourth when he slipped and appeared to hurt his right leg trying to spring off the mound and cover first on Ryan Howard’s grounder to Uggla at second base.

He remained in the game after taking warmup throws as Gonzalez watched.

“He felt his hip pop,” Gonzalez said. “When he came off he just said ‘That was old age.’ ”

The 35-year-old Hudson pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on four hits and five walks, one shy of his career high. He struck out three.

The Braves took a 1-0 lead in the fourth, when Uggla singled and scored on Freeman’s infield hit. The Phillies answered in the sixth when Placido Polanco led off with a walk and scored on Mayberry’s line-drive homer to left-center with two outs.

Atlanta tied it at 2 in the sixth. Uggla walked, moved to on Eric Hinske’s single to right and scored on Freeman’s sacrifice fly.

Notes

• 3B Chipper Jones was a late scratch with a sore right knee. Brooks Conrad replaced him in Atlanta’s lineup.
• he Braves placed RHP Brandon Beachy on the DL with a strained oblique and recalled RHP Scott Proctor from Triple-A Gwinnett.
• Phillies GM Ruben Amaro said he doesn’t think CF Shane Victorino, who left Saturday’s game with a sore right hamstring, will be placed on the DL. Victorino did not play Sunday as Michael Martinez made his second start in center field.
• C Carlos Ruiz singled in the second to end an 0-for-26 slump.