BALTIMORE -- Atlanta Braves second baseman Quilvio Veras tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee Friday night and will miss the rest of the season.

	Veras

Veras injured his knee when caught in a first-inning rundown, but remained in the game. He showed obvious discomfort when batting in the fourth inning and was replaced by Keith Lockhart in the bottom of the inning.

An MRI Saturday revealed the extent of the damage.

"When you lose a guy like that, you've got to pitch a little better, hit a little better and play a little better," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "We'll cover it."

The Braves acquired Veras from San Diego on Dec. 22 in a trade that sent Ryan Klesko and Bret Boone to the Padres. Veras was hitting .309 with five home runs, 37 RBI and a team-high 25 stolen bases.

"This team has overcome a lot of injuries the last two years," Braves shortstop Walt Weiss said. "He is a huge loss for us. I think we will be able to hold down the fort, though. We have done it before."

The Braves beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-3 Saturday with help from Veras' backup, Rafael Furcal, who drove in two runs.

"It hurts us. It's going to hurt us," winning pitcher Tom Glavine said of Veras' injury. "But the lineup we had out there today looked pretty good."

On Sunday the Braves will call up infielder Steve Sisco, who was hitting .274 with nine homers and 29 RBI in 64 games with Triple-A Richmond. Sisco had two hits in nine at-bats, including a home run, in a previous stint with Atlanta this season.