The Braves’ offense was all the way turnt up for this one, as the Braves put up 6 runs in the second inning and continued to pile up runs throughout the game. Matt Diaz lead off the bottom half of the second inning with a solo home run and Brian McCann capped it with a bases clearing double. Prado matched a career best 5 RBIs, including a 2-run home run off Burke Badenhop in the seventh. Eric Hinske, relieving Derrek Lee of first base duties, also went deep Saturday night. Lee was removed for precautionary reasons with a right side strain. After the game, Bobby Cox noted that Lee may be held out from the series finale Sunday afternoon.
On the other side of the ball, Tim Hudson continued his Cy Young caliber performance, giving up 1 earned run over 7 innings, while striking out a career best, 13 batters. This win puts Hudson at 15-5 on the season with a 2.24 ERA. Hudson earned a standing ovation from the Turner Field crowd after he struck out the first two batters of the game, surpassing the 1,500 strikeout mark for his career.
The Braves’ NL East division lead holds steady at 2 games, as the Phillies beat the Padres 3-1 Saturday afternoon. Head on over to Talking Chop for further analysis.