DEL.ICIO.USMLB: Cubs at Braves
Francoeur’s dramatic homer fuels Braves’ rally
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
From the throes of being no-hit by Chicago Cubs, the Braves came up with the most remarkable thing — a five-run rally in the late innings, a two-out, two-run game-tying home run by Jeff Francoeur and a win.
On the same day that the Braves sent Jordan Schafer to the minor leagues, serving notice that they won’t stand for such a lack of production from their outfield, Francoeur hit his first home run since May 1.
CURTIS COMPTON/ccompton@ajc.com
Braves third baseman Chipper Jones reacts in the dugout as Jeff Francoeur hits a 2 run homer in the 9th to tie the game 5-5 against the Cubs and send it to extra innings at Turner Field.
The Braves used the two runs he drove in to prolong what looked like a loss into a 12th-inning win when Chipper Jones singled in Yunel Escobar for a 6-5 Braves victory.
“Frenchy got the big hit,” Jones said. “Their guy threw an awesome game tonight. The first time we faced him, we didn’t know what to expect. Good stuff, good location. We got some breaks late and we took advantage of them. It was a really good time for Frenchy to bust out and run into one. That was probably the biggest hit of the year for us. Gave us a chance.”
The five-run comeback was the Braves’ largest of the season.
“These are character-builders, things that gel clubs,” Jones said. “To be down 5-0. We were dead in the water. Hopefully getting a hit in the seventh helped everybody relax.”
Jones got the first hit of the game for the Braves in the seventh and the last for them in the 12th to give the Braves their first win in 24 games in which they trailed after eight innings. Escobar had singled to left against Aaron Heilman and stolen second.
The home run couldn’t have come at a better time for Francoeur and the Braves.
Down to their last out, trailing 5-3, Francoeur quieted the Cubs’ portion of the 30,262 fans at Turner Field by connecting for only his fourth home run of the season. He was greeted in the Braves dugout with a pounding of back slaps he hadn’t felt in maybe years.
“It felt good to round the bases — the whole thing,” said Francoeur, who said he hit for two hours on the off-day Monday to get his timing back. “I want to get back to playing like my old self. And it wasn’t just a hit, a homer, but two outs in the ninth. That’s the stuff I used to do.”
Francoeur drove in Garret Anderson, who had homered himself in the eighth inning to start the five-run outburst.
Anderson reached on a third-strike wild pitch in the ninth, becoming the fifth Brave to reach without benefit of a hit during the five-run rally, including two walks, an error and a hit by pitch in the eighth.
The Braves had managed only three hits in the first nine innings, including nothing but a single by Jones in the first seven.
Randy Wells was looking for his first major-league win and pitched like he might get his first no-hitter. He didn’t give up a hit until Jones singled to the opposite field with two outs in the seventh inning.
Wells lost his shutout bid on Anderson’s solo home run to lead off the eighth, and then watched the Cubs bullpen blow his chance at a win. He has four consecutive quality starts and five shutout innings in his only other start but has yet to win in eight major-league outings.
An error by three-time Gold Glover Derek Lee spelled the end of the night for Wells and opened the door for a Braves lineup waiting for something to feel good about.
The Braves loaded the bases on reliever Carlos Marmol in the eighth with a walk and a hit by pitch before Kelly Johnson drew a bases-loaded walk to cut the lead to 5-2. Escobar, who has a .429 batting average with runners in scoring position, made the score 5-3 with a sacrifice fly to right before Jones grounded out to end the threat.
Escobar had another chance in the 10th but grounded out with Diaz at second.
Until Jones’ opposite-field stroke to left with two outs in the seventh, Escobar was the only Brave to reach base. Home-plate umpire Brian O’Nara ruled he was hit by a pitch with one out in the fourth inning. Replays showed it might have only hit his bat as Escobar ducked out of the way.
Wells had to settle for his first major-league hit and RBI with a single off Kenshin Kawakami to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead in the second inning.
