Sports Network | June 20, 2010
Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Troy Glaus hammered a fastball on the outer part of the plate to deep left field for a game-winning solo homer in the ninth, as Atlanta captured a 5-4 win from the Royals.
Glaus had a pair of RBI and nailed his sixth career game-winning homer leading off the ninth against Robinson Tejeda (2-3). It made a winner out of Billy Wagner (5-0), who worked the top half of the inning. The resurgent Glaus stands third in the majors with 55 RBI and is among the leaders with 14 home runs.
Chipper Jones collected two hits and knocked in one for the Braves, who have won four in a row. Brian McCann added a solo homer, while Kris Medlen went 6 1/3 innings in the start and gave up five hits and four runs (three earned).
"Every win is big. Obviously you don't try and save them for the ninth inning, but tonight is no different from any other night. We got a series victory which was nice, but we still have to take care of business tomorrow."
Scott Podsednik and Jason Kendall each drove in two runs for the Royals, who have dropped three of the last four games. Zack Greinke settled down after a bumpy start and lasted seven innings, charged with six hits and four runs (three earned).
"It was a good game. I thought we played good, I thought they played good. It was close," said Greinke.
Atlanta jumped on Greinke for a pair of runs in the first. Martin Prado opened with a single, advanced on a groundout and scored on a base hit to left by Jones.
Jones moved up twice on a passed ball and groundout then came home on a Yuniesky Betancourt throwing error. McCann led off the fourth with his seventh home run of the year for a three-run edge, but KC got two back in the fifth.
The visitors loaded the bases with nobody out and Podsednik lifted a sacrifice fly. Kendall hit into a fielder's choice to score another, but was caught stealing to end the rally.
The Braves again made it a two-run game thanks to some heads up baserunning in the sixth. Jason Heyward and Jones got on with singles to place men at first and second with one out.
Glaus stung a ball to short where Betancourt made a nice diving stop and flipped to Mike Aviles at second for the out. Jones took out Aviles with his slide into the bag, sending the second-bagger tumbling, and Heyward alertly took off from third to score uncontested.
The Royals, though, came right back and rallied to tie the game at 4-4 in their next at-bat. Aviles singled and Betancourt doubled to leave both in scoring position. Eric O'Flaherty was summoned in with one out and yielded an RBI groundout to Podsednik and Kendall followed with a base hit up the middle.
After another hit, Peter Moylan came on for the final out. Greinke recorded a 1-2-3 seventh and the bullpens posted zeros from there.
Jonny Venters stranded a runner at third with a strikeout of Betancourt to end the Royals' eighth, then Blake Wood fanned Jones and got McCann to fly out to strand Prado at third in the home portion.
Greinke fanned five and did not issue a walk in making his first-ever start against Atlanta. The reigning AL Cy Young winner was coming off just his second win of the season his last time out...Prado ended with a pair of hits and joined the Yankees' Robinson Cano Saturday as the only two players to collect 100 hits so far this season...David DeJesus went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles in a losing cause...The Braves will go for a three-game sweep of the series on Sunday with Kenshin Kawakami on the mound. Kyle Davies will go for Kansas City.