Halladay throws five-hit shutout against Braves

By David O'Brien

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Facing Halladay is never a holiday, as the Braves can attest.

Tim Hudson pitched six good innings, but Roy Halladay pitched nine mostly terrific ones for Philadelphia in a 2-0 Phillies win against the Braves on Wednesday night at Turner Field.

The Braves advanced runners past first base in three innings against Halladay (4-0), who threw a five-hit shutout with seven strikeouts and one walk to hand the Braves their second loss in six games.

"He's surgical out there," Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said of Halladay, who threw 71 strikes in 113 pitches in his second complete game of the season, trimming his miniscule ERA to 0.82. "He knows what he wants to do. He's aggressive, he commands the strike zone, and he wants the ball."

Said manager Bobby Cox: "He's really a machine."

Before another small crowd of 21,171, the two-time defending National League champions evened the three-game series and moved back to one game ahead of the Braves atop the East standings before Thursday's rubber game.

RBI doubles by Raul Ibanez in the second inning and Jayson Werth in the sixth were enough support for Halladay, who is 8-2 with a 1.24 ERA and six complete games in 10 regular-season starts since the beginning of September.

The Braves have hit only .209 and scored 34 runs in their past nine games, but still own a 5-4 record in that stretch.

"We had our opportunities to score and just didn't get them across when we had the chance," said Hudson (1-1), who was charged with six hits, two runs and two walks, both intentional. "He must made the pitches, and they made the plays when they needed to. They had some breaks go their way, too."

Troy Glaus, whose two-run, two-out homer in the ninth inning Tuesday sparked an improbable comeback win, nearly homered again when he hit a ball deep to center field in the second inning Wednesday.

Shane Victorino leaped to make a catch with his glove on the yellow line atop the center-field fence.

The Braves didn't have a runner reach base until Jones' two-out double in the fourth, and Halladay struck out the next batter, Brian McCann.

"He's got five pitches that are all plus-pitches, and he throws them all for strikes," McCann said. "There's a reason that he is who he is."

The Braves loaded the bases in the seventh on consecutive singles by Jones and McCann and a one-out walk by rookie Jason Heyward, just the third walk issued this season by Halladay.

That threated ended when Yunel Escobar grounded into a double play. The hard-hit ball caromed off the pitcher's mound to second baseman Chase Utley, who threw to the shortstop to start the 4-6-3 play.

"We had a couple of chances," McCann said. "Breaks didn't go our way."

Hudson added, "Today they had a little bit more luck on their side than we did. When you've got a guy like Halladay on the mound and they get a little luck on their side, it's just tough to beat them."

The only other time the Braves advanced a runner past first base was on Eric Hinske's one-out pinch-hit double in the eighth. Nate McLouth grounded out to advance Hinske to third and Prado grounded out to end the inning.

Halladay threw 101 pitches through eight innings and was brought out to finish the job in the ninth, after seeing closer Ryan Madson give up three runs on two homers Tuesday to blow a 3-0 lead.

Hudson is 0-5 with a 4.41 ERA in his past 10 starts against the Phillies, after going 4-2 with a 2.68 ERA in his first six starts against them.

Halladay is 2-0 with an 0.46 ERA in three starts against the Braves, whom he beat in 1999 with Toronto. He didn't face them again until last season, when he pitched seven scoreless innings and got no decision in a Toronto loss.