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Thursday, Apr. 20 7:40pm ET
Galarraga homers twice in Braves' 6-4 win | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ATLANTA (AP) -- Andres Galarraga is back. So is John Rocker. The Atlanta Braves are glad to have them both.
Rocker pitched for the second time since serving a two-week suspension for insensitive comments, entering in the ninth inning to another standing ovation and a smattering of boos. He got two of his three outs on strikeouts for his first save since the 1999 NL Championship Series. "Without a doubt, the guy makes us a better team," said Kevin Millwood, who went seven innings for his first win. "He's done his part by apologizing. Whether you accept it or not, he's back here to play baseball. That's all he wants to do." Galarraga, who missed last season while undergoing treatment for a cancerous tumor in his back, hit a solo shot leading off the second. He added a three-run homer in the seventh, a towering drive down the left-field line that struck about three feet below the top of the foul pole. "I feel comfortable at the plate," he said. "I'm just trying to make contact, whether I'm hitting home runs or singles." Galarraga had the 28th two-homer game of his career, giving him six homers and 17 RBI for the season. At the beginning of the night, six players shared the NL lead with six homers apiece. "It's been good just to have him back," Millwood said. "But for him to be as productive as he's been is a big plus for us." In the ninth, Rocker walked the first batter, Alex Arias, before retiring Kevin Jordan on a short fly to right. Doug Glanville struck out on a checked swing and Ron Gant ended the game by missing a high fastball. Rocker gave a slight pump of his fist but showed little emotion. "I just hope to repeat the things I did last year. The name of this game is consistency. A lot of guys have one big year and they're a flash in the pan," Rocker told Fox Sports Net as he left the field. Afterwards, he stuck by his policy of refusing to talk to reporters in the clubhouse. With the game tied at 2, the Braves took advantage of the battered Phillies bullpen for the third night in a row. Rafael Furcal drew a one-out walk Scott Aldred (1-2), then moved around to third when Andruw Jones singled off the pitcher's glove. Chipper Jones followed with a sacrifice fly to deep center, breaking the tie, and Brian Jordan's single put runners at first and third once again. Carlos Reyes replaced Aldred, only to give up the long homer to Galarraga. The Big Cat trotted to first, his eyes riveted down the line to see if the ball was fair. When it struck the top of the yellow pole, he grinned and pumped a fist to the crowd. The Turner Field crowd wouldn't stop cheering when he reached the dugout, so he popped back out on the first step to tip his helmet. "I knew I hit it good," Galarraga said. "But I had to look up to see if it was fair. When it hit the pole, I was real excited." Homers accounted for eight of the 10 runs in the game, including a solo drive by Phillies starting pitcher Chris Brock. His fifth-inning homer, the first of his career, tied it at 2 and was the first by a Phillies pitcher since Jeff Juden hit a grand slam against the Dodgers on Aug. 25, 1995. "It was right down the middle," Brock said, referring to Millwood's pitch, "the only place I can hit it." Scott Rolen and Bobby Abreu also homered against Millwood, the latter providing a two-run shot in the eighth that sliced into the Braves' 6-2 lead and gave Rocker a chance to pick up the save in the ninth. Meanwhile, the Phillies bullpen is in disarray because of injuries to closer Mike Jackson and setup man Jeff Brantley. The fill-in relievers surrendered 13 runs in eight-plus innings during the Braves' sweep. "This is a team thing," manager Terry Francona said. "We're going to work it out together." Millwood, an 18-game winner a year ago, finally won after no-decisions in his first three starts. He started slowly a year ago, going 1-2 with a 5.79 ERA in April, before finishing third in the NL Cy Young voting.
Game notes | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Philadelphia Clubhouse Atlanta Clubhouse RECAPS Minnesota 9 Kansas City 7
Atlanta 6
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