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Tuesday, May 23 8:05pm ET
Another grand night for Hernandez | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Jose Hernandez found one pitch he liked, Jamey Wright pitched through a huge case of the jitters and the Milwaukee Brewers got another dramatic victory. Hernandez hit his second grand slam in four days and Wright won his Milwaukee debut as the Brewers hung on to beat the Atlanta Braves 7-6 Tuesday night for their sixth win in seven games. Jeromy Burnitz also had a two-run homer for the Brewers, who blew all but one run of a 7-0 lead but won their third game in two days after sweeping a doubleheader from Houston. Milwaukee has won 10 of its last 15 games and is making a positive move in the standings for the first time this season. "I really think this is a lot better team than it's been showing," said Wright, who walked seven and hit two batters but also got five strikeouts. "I think we can jump up to .500 and start surprising some people." It isn't happening simply. Milwaukee's current homestand has included a 16-inning game, a 16-10 game, a seven-run Milwaukee comeback in the ninth inning and Tuesday's near-disaster. The day was saved by three innings of near-flawless relief from David Weathers and Bob Wickman, who got his fifth save in six chances. The bullpen salvaged things for Wright, who admitted to "a whole lot of nerves" in his first start for the team that acquired him from Colorado in the offseason. Weathers and Wickman were the only relievers available for the Brewers, who used several in Monday's doubleheader. "If we had gone extra innings, we were in deep trouble," Milwaukee manager Davey Lopes said. Most of the offense came from Hernandez, who is 6-for-8 with 15 RBIs this season when batting with the bases loaded. He struck out three times Tuesday but put an 0-2 pitch over the right-field wall in the third inning. Despite scoring six runs in the sixth inning, the Braves couldn't overcome a shaky start from Kevin Millwood and began a nine-game road trip by losing for just the second time in 10 games. Burnitz's first-inning homer was the start of a short, troubled day for Millwood (4-3), who was yanked after the third inning with the Braves down 6-0. He allowed four hits and three walks. Millwood, who won 35 games over the last two seasons, has lost three of his last four starts. In the third, Millwood walked two batters and loaded the bases for Hernandez, who hit an opposite-field drive. Hernandez hit a first-inning grand slam to nearly the same spot against San Francisco on Saturday. It was the fourth homer in four days and sixth of the year for Hernandez, who got a standing ovation from the County Stadium crowd that has booed him for weeks as he struggled to bring his average above .200. "I'm seeing the ball better than the results show," Hernandez said. "I'm getting there." Ron Belliard extended his hitting streak to 13 games with an RBI double off Bruce Chen in the fourth inning that made it 7-0. As it turned out, the Brewers needed every one of those runs. Wright (1-0) spent the season's first seven weeks on the disabled list with a small rotator cuff tear in his right shoulder. He allowed just two hits and struck out five in 5 1-3 innings, and he stayed out of trouble until the sixth, when he walked Rafael Furcal with the bases loaded and was taken out. "I was thinking about playing the Braves and getting a shutout, and those are things that can't enter your mind when you're out there pitching," Wright said. Pinch-hitter Bobby Bonilla then hit a two-run single off Valerio De Los Santos, and Quilvio Veras followed with a two-run double to cut the lead to 7-6. Chipper Jones grounded into a double play to end the inning. The NL MVP also jammed his foot awkwardly into first base, spraining his right big toe. The Braves said he is day-to-day, and Jones said he'll try to play on Wednesday night. "It's throbbing, and it hurts," Jones said. "I can't put any pressure on the inside of my foot right now. I thought I broke my foot when I did it." Atlanta also lost reliever Kevin McGlinchy in the seventh inning when he came out with tightness in his shoulder. He only came off the disabled list on May 13 from a similar injury. "I think I'll be out of action for a couple of weeks," McGlinchy said. "It's tough not to contribute and be out there every day like I was last year." Brian Jordan jump-started Atlanta's sixth-inning rally by submarining Belliard at second base, breaking up a double play and allowing Andres Galarraga to score Atlanta's first run. Milwaukee manager Davey Lopes had words with Jordan when he came out to check on Belliard. The Braves are making their final visit to County Stadium, their home from 1953-65. The Milwaukee Braves won the World Series in 1957 and the NL pennant in 1958, but moved to Atlanta in 1966. Game notesMilwaukee turned four double plays. ... Hernandez is the first Brewers player to have multiple grand slams in a season since 1995, when John Jaha had three and Matt Mieske two. ... A few extra security guards were stationed around the right-field bleachers near the two bullpens, but no incidents were reported between Milwaukee fans and Braves reliever John Rocker, who didn't appear. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Atlanta Clubhouse Milwaukee Clubhouse RECAPS Baltimore 4 Seattle 2
Milwaukee 7
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