Loss hurts Braves' slim playoff hopes

By CARROLL ROGERS

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Any hopes the Braves had built while winning seven in a row are looking a little false. They lost two out of three to the Phillies this weekend. This is not the easiest way into the playoffs.

The Phillies jumped on Tommy Hanson for a 4-2 win Sunday to stretch their NL East on the Braves to 8 1/2 games and drop the Braves 5 1/2 games behind the Rockies in the wild card race.

Perhaps the Braves’ lone consolation as they headed to New York to open a six-game trip is that 10 of their last 13 games come against sub .500 teams.

“Obviously after this, we’ll need some help,” said third baseman Chipper Jones, who was 2-for-4 with a double. “We’ve got to go up and beat the Mets and Nationals and come back home and finish strong. Funnier things have happened. Teams have gone on five-, six-game losing streaks. I just hate that we have to count on that the last two weeks of the season. But this team is playing hard. “

Hanson has only lost twice in nearly two months and both losses have come in rain-shortened games against the Phillies.

“There are a lot of good hitters on that team,” said Hanson, who’d allowed only one run in 20 innings between those losses, including a 19-inning scoreless streak. “It just happens sometimes.”

Hanson’s NL rookie of the year candidacy has taken a hit against the team that is making its own case for J.A. Happ. Hanson is now 10-4 with a 2.85 ERA to Happ’s 10-4 record with a 2.77 ERA. But Happ is nursing a sore oblique and had to come out after three innings Friday.

Phillies starters pitched only 10 innings in this series, compared to 19 by Braves starters. But the Braves scored only five runs off Happ, Pedro Martinez and Sunday starter Cliff Lee. The Braves scored their second run Sunday off closer Brad Lidge.

The Braves won the season series against the Phillies 10-8, but after going 7-2 in the first half, they went only 3-6 against them in the second.

“The silver lining to all this is we won the season series against the World Champs, took all their body blows came out ahead in the season standings,” Jones said. “We should be able to take that and hopefully improve on that again next year.”

For Hanson, Sunday’s start was more authentic than his loss in Philadelphia Aug. 28, when he gave up only a Ryan Howard solo home run in two innings. Hanson made it five innings Sunday before the game was delayed by rain and by then, the Phillies had rapped out four runs on seven hits.

Hanson neutralized Howard, striking him out twice on inside fastballs. But other Phillies got him this time, using leadoff walks in both the third and fourth innings to net runs.

Raul Ibanez and Pedro Feliz delivered run-scoring hits on back-to-back pitches in a two-run fourth inning. When light showers turned into a downpour in the fifth, Hanson gave up extra-base hits to Jimmy Rollins (double) and Chase Utley (triple) to take a 4-1 deficit into the clubhouse.

LaRoche, Escobar out Sunday

Adam LaRoche sat out Sunday’s game with a stiff back, which he injured Friday night making a diving play at first base. LaRoche had to leave Saturday’s game against the Phillies after his third inning at-bat after aggravating his back swinging at an offspeed pitch.

LaRoche tested it in the indoor cages Sunday morning but felt discomfort swinging and took himself out of the lineup.

“Hopefully it’s not going to hang around for too long,” LaRoche said.

Yunel Escobar missed Sunday’s game with a sore left elbow after getting hit by a Pedro Martinez pitch Saturday night.

Reliever Mike Gonzalez has been out with back spasms since Wednesday night after giving up a home run to Omir Santos of the Mets while pitching with a tight back. Gonzalez said he expected one more day off today in New York would be enough rest and he’d be available again Tuesday.