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Braves win despite Peavy’s performance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
San Diego— When John Smoltz began dominating the Padres in 1993, Jake Peavy was a 12-year-old Braves fan in Mobile, Ala., who idolized the hard-throwing Atlanta right-hander.
Smoltz is still dominating the Padres, and harder-throwing right-hander Peavy has to wonder what more he can possibly do to beat the steadfast veteran. For the second time in 6-1/2 weeks, Smoltz topped the Padres and their young ace as the Braves won 3-1 in a series opener Monday night at Petco Park.
Peavy recorded a Padres-record 16 strikeouts in seven innings, the most in the majors this season. He only allowed three hits and one walk. He overwhelmed Atlanta’s lineup, which finished the night with 18 strikeouts.
But Ryan Langerhans’ two-run homer in the second inning was enough support for Smoltz (4-2), who worked seven scoreless innings and made crucial pitches when he needed them.
“Peavy was awesome tonight, and so was John,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said. “Peavy had all the strikeouts, but John made pitches. Peavy was dynamite. That’s about the best stuff we’ve seen all year. But Smoltz outdueled him.”
The Braves totaled eight hits in two games Sunday and Monday and won both of them. They got three hits in a 2-1 win Sunday at Arizona behind Tim Hudson’s eight scoreless innings.
“Those are our two big guns,” Langerhans said of Hudson and Smoltz. “Our offense scuffled a little the last two days and those guys put us on their back.”
Smoltz said, “I can’t say enough about the [importance of] our last two games. I wanted to duplicate what Huddy did.”
Langerhans snapped a string of 107 homerless at-bats with his third of the season to help the Braves pick up a half-game in the standings, closing to four games behind NL East-leader New York and one behind Philadelphia.
The Mets and Phillies both were idle Monday, and the Braves improved to 2-2 on a nine-game trip.
After Mike Piazza homered off Braves reliever Ken Ray in the eighth inning to trim the lead to 2-1, Chipper Jones homered in the ninth to give Atlanta’s shaky bullpen a little breathing room. Embattled closer Chris Reitsma pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save in 11 opportunities. He struck out left-hander Geoff Blum for the final out.
“Reits got the ball down tonight and was absolutely excellent,” said Cox, who pulled Reitsma after he gave up a run in the ninth on Sunday, opting not to left him face the left-handed heart of the Arizona lineup.
Smoltz continue his mastery of the Padres, allowed six hits in seven innings and improving to 10-1 with a 1.39 ERA in his past 15 starts against them since Sept. 11, 1993.
He also made nine relief appearances against them during the 2001-2004 seasons, converting 8-of-8 saves and posting a 0.93 ERA.
On April 15, he threw a four-hit shutout in a 2-0 win against the Padres and Peavy, who had eight strikeouts and allowed four hits in seven innings that night at Turner Field.
For those keeping score at home, Peavy (3-5) has 24 strikeouts and three walks in 14 innings against the Braves this season, and two losses to show for the effort.
“I tell you what, he’s one of the nastiest pitchers in the game,” Smoltz said. “He struck out 16 and I felt like when Langy hit the home run … I knew coming in chances are we’re not going to get many runs against this guy. I knew I had to keep throwing up zeroes.
“Andruw [Jones] made a great play and the bullpen, which has been under scrutiny, deserves the credit tonight.”
Langerhans had not homered since April 7, but picked a fine time to snap that drought.
“I got that one pitch out over the plate and was able to take advantage,” said Langerhans, who struck out in his other two at-bats against Peavy, one of six Braves to strike out multiple times against him.
Andruw Jones struck out all three times he faced the Alabaman. Peavy struck out 11 of the last 13 batters he faced, beginning with Jones with runners on second and third to end the third inning.
Peavy turns 25 on May 31, and has every trait of an emerging elite pitcher.
Smoltz, of course, has been one for more than 15 years. After throwing 130 pitches on Wednesday against Florida, he showed no sigs of fatigue Monday.
The Padres didn’t get a runner to second base until Mike Piazza’s one-out double in the fourth inning. Smoltz retired the next two batters.
The crowd at Petco Park got excited when the Padres put two on base with one out in the sixth inning and the heart of the order up. But Smoltz quieted them by striking out Piazza and Greene consecutively.
They had two on again in the seventh when Smoltz stuck out hot-hitting leadoff man Dave Roberts, the last batter he faced.
Piazza’s homer off Ray was just the fourth run surrendered by the journeyman this season, all in two games against the Padres. He gave up three runs without an out in a 4-3 loss to San Diego on April 16.
Ray hasn’t allowed a run in his other 20 appearances this season.
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