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  Friday, Apr. 28 10:05pm ET
Jordan, Bonilla help Braves pull away
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- On a relatively quiet night for John Rocker, the Atlanta Braves made some noise extending their winning streak to 11 games.

Bobby Bonilla drove in the go-ahead run with a pinch-hit triple, Brian Jordan hit a three-run homer to snap an 0-for-22 slump and Andres Galarraga homered again as the Braves beat the San Diego Padres 7-2 Friday night.

Rocker, who never even warmed up, got a mixed reception at the start of his first road trip since his two-week suspension for comments about gays, minorities and immigrants.

The reliever signed several autographs before the game, many for fans wearing Braves apparel, but was greeted by hearty boos as he walked in foul territory from the dugout to the bullpen in the right-field corner before the top of the third inning.

Rocker had pitched in the last two games, getting a save in Thursday's victory over Los Angeles that completed a 9-0 homestand.

After the final out, Rocker sprinted off the field next to two teammates.

It is the longest winning streak for the Braves since they matched their club record of 13 straight in July 1992.

"We've got a great bunch of guys," said Jordan, recently sidelined by a strained ribcage muscle. "There are no weak spot in this lineup. When everyone gets clicking at the same time, watch out."

Bonilla's hit helped make a winner of Greg Maddux, who started 4-0 in April for the second straight season.

With the scored tied at 2, former Padres first baseman Wally Joyner drew a one-out walk in the eighth and was replaced by pinch-runner Walt Weiss. Bonilla hit a soft liner off Brian Meadows (2-2) that rolled into the Braves' bullpen and chugged into third ahead of Tony Gwynn's throw.

Padres manager Bruce Bochy said it was a tough loss for Meadows.

"He was matching Maddux there," Bochy said. "There's such a fine line when you're going against a club that's hot and against a pitcher like Maddux."

Maddux allowed two runs, one earned, on seven hits in seven innings, struck out four and walked none. Mike Remlinger got his fourth save.

"We've played good, but we've also caught some breaks along the way," Maddux said. "I thought I got away with a lot of pitches tonight that you don't expect to get away with."

Jordan hit his first homer with one out in the ninth after Carlos Almanzar hit Quilvio Veras and walked Chipper Jones to open the inning.

"It came at a great time," Jordan said of his homer, which broke open the game. "I've been trying to find my swing, coming back from injury (a strained muscle in his ribcage). I'm not comfortable with the plate. That last at-bat, I went up there with a great attitude."

It was the first game between the teams since their blockbuster trade Dec. 22, when Ryan Klesko and Bret Boone joined the Padres in exchange for Joyner, Reggie Sanders and Veras.

Galarraga hit his NL-leading ninth homer with one out in the seventh inning, sending a 0-1 pitch from Meadows over the center field fence for a 2-1 lead.

The Padres came right back in the bottom of the inning with consecutive singles by Klesko and Boone and an RBI grounder by Eric Owens.

The Braves took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Jordan drew a one-out walk, stole second and scored on Andruw Jones' double.

San Diego tied it in the bottom of the inning. Owens reached on a two-out infield single to first and took second when first baseman Galarraga overthrew Maddux covering the bag. Owens scored on a single by Carlos Hernandez.

Meadows gave up three runs and four hits in 7 1/3 innings, struck out three and walked three.

Game notes
Maddux improved to 9-9 lifetime at Qualcomm Stadium in 19 games. Three Rivers Stadium (7-9) is the only stadium where Maddux has a losing record. ... Sanders' slump reached 0-for-34. ... San Diego placed RHP Brian Boehringer on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 21, with a right shoulder strain. Boehringer is 0-3 with a 6.08 ERA in three starts. The Padres recalled RHP Rodrigo Lopez from Triple-A Las Vegas. Lopez, 24, will make his major league debut when he starts Saturday night.

 


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Rocker appears in San Diego to mixed reviews


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