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Monday, Jun. 12 7:05pm ET
Braves offense gets Millwood off hook | |||||
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GAME LOG
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Atlanta's suddenly inconsistent pitching staff is forcing the Braves to do something they've rarely had to do the last 10 seasons -- stage comebacks. Andruw Jones homered twice and drove in five runs as the Braves squandered a three-run lead, then rallied from five runs down to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-8 Monday despite Kevin Young's six-RBI night.
"It's kind of a culture shock for us, when we score three and have one of our big guys on the mound, we expect to roll," Chipper Jones said. "The next thing we know, it's 8-3. We were just shellshocked." Not for long. Andruw Jones led the Braves' comeback with a solo homer and a two-run shot, both off Todd Ritchie. The Braves regained the lead in the ninth off Jason Christiansen (1-6) on RBI singles by Javy Lopez and Reggie Sanders. The Braves had tied it at 8 with a two-run eighth against Rich Loiselle and Christiansen on a walk, third baseman Luis Sojo's run-scoring throwing error on Brian Jordan's single and Keith Lockhart's RBI double. Braves relievers Jason Marquis, Bruce Chen, Kerry Ligtenberg and Mike Remlinger helped make the comeback possible by combining for seven scoreless relief innings, after Marquis yielded three runs in the second. Ligtenberg (2-1) pitched a scoreless eighth for the victory and Remlinger, closing again with John Rocker in the minors, finished for his sixth save. "Our bullpen was outstanding," Andruw Jones said. "They gave us a chance to put some runs on the board and we did." Young, who went 2-for-4, and Andruw Jones, 3-for-5 with a two-run single, combined to drive in 11 of the game's 18 runs. "It doesn't mean that much when you lose," Young said. "It's a game we should have won and we didn't." Young, jeered by some fans after his error helped Atlanta to a three-run first, responded with a three-run double off Millwood in the bottom of the inning and a three-run homer in the second off Marquis. The Pirates have lost five in a row to the Braves and 17 of 21. Millwood remained in a major slump, surrendering five runs on four hits and walking two while retiring only one batter, leadoff hitter Warren Morris. Millwood, an 18-game winner last season, hasn't lasted past the fourth inning in three of his last five starts and has lost his last four decisions. His slump mirrors that of the long-reliable Braves starting staff, which has given up 47 earned runs in its last 38 1/3 innings. The Braves were coming off a 4-5 homestand marked by poor starting pitching. "It's going to take something to turn this around for me and maybe this was it, to have a bad outing and for us to win the game," Millwood said. "I know I can get people out, I've proved that, and I think I'm pretty good at not getting too down on myself. I know I can pitch here, but, right now, I'm struggling." Braves rookie shortstop Rafael Furcal, arrested on a DUI charge in Georgia over the weekend, doubled and scored to start the first before being lifted with a strained right hamstring. With Furcal and Walt Weiss (sprained right thumb) both hurting, manager Bobby Cox said one of the two will go on the disabled list Tuesday so a player can be recalled from the minors. Chipper Jones followed Furcal's double with a run-scoring single and Andruw Jones hit a two-run single, but Millwood quickly surrendered the lead. Young's double followed Jason Kendall's one-out single and walks to Wil Cordero and Brian Giles. Adrian Brown, Sojo and Abraham Nunez then singled to chase Millwood, who has allowed 14 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings his last two starts. He gave up nine runs in four innings in a 12-8 loss to Toronto on Wednesday. Young's homer, his ninth, followed Cordero's single and the second of Giles' three walks. Young has three homers in his last six games although he is batting only .228 since his average peaked at .275 on May 10. Ritchie shook off the three-run first keyed by Jones' two-run single and Jones' two homers to last 5 1/3 innings, but didn't figure in the decision.
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RECAPS Chi. White Sox 8 Cleveland 7
Atlanta 10
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