Lowe: Arrest didn't impact performance

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By David O'Brien

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

If the tumult of the past few days had any effect on his performance, Braves pitcher Derek Lowe wasn’t about to say so. Or even entertain the question.

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When reporters tried to ask Derek Lowe if the first inning might have been in any way attributable to being distracted after his arrest, he cut off the question mid-sentence or dismissed it altogether as “not even a question.”

John Amis, AP When reporters tried to ask Derek Lowe if the first inning might have been in any way attributable to being distracted after his arrest, he cut off the question mid-sentence or dismissed it altogether as “not even a question.”

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He gave up three runs in the first inning Sunday against St. Louis, less than 72 hours after being arrested and charged with DUI and racing his Porsche down Peachtree Road in Buckhead.

Lowe and Braves officials said they never considered not starting him Sunday. He allowed four hits to the first five batters he faced, including consecutive one-out doubles by Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman that drove in three runs.

Lowe retired 11 of the next 12 batters and lasted five innings, surrendering six hits, four runs and two walks with five strikeouts. Nice recovery, considering how the first inning went.

He got no decision and the Braves came back to win, 6-5.

“I don’t know [if past few days affected him],” manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “I know that he gave us everything he had for five innings and kept us in the ballgame.”

Lowe is normally engaging and doesn’t shy from questions in postgame interviews. Not Sunday. Three times, when reporters tried to ask him if the first inning might have been in any way attributable to being distracted after his arrest, Lowe cut off the question mid-sentence or dismissed it altogether as “not even a question.”

The third time it was asked, he abruptly ended the interview and left.

Before exiting, Lowe had answered questions about the game and the Braves’ position in the standings. He was asked if was too soon to worry (before Sunday, the Braves were six games behind East leader Philadelphia, 4-1/2 behind Florida).

“I think it’s too early, but we’re not naïve enough to not realize where we are in the standings, either,” he said. “Especially with Philly coming up this weekend, you don’t want to start getting too far back. So this was just a good comeback win.”

Uggla’s long double

Dan Ugglaand the Braves thought he hit a leadoff homer in the seventh inning, but the play was ruled a double after the ball bounced off the top of the padded center-field fence and back onto the field.

Gonzalez asked umpires to review video of the homer, because it appeared to some the ball had bounced off a metal railing beyond the outfield wall, in which case it would’ve been a homer.

The umpires looked at the the replay and declined to overrule the original call.

Linebrink pitch breaks Freese’s finger

Cardinals third baseman David Freese could miss a month or more after breaking his left ring finger when he was hit by a Scott Linebrink pitch in the sixth inning.

The Cardinals loaded the bases with none out a against Linebrink before Ryan Theriot grounded into a 5-3-2 double play. Reliever George Sherrill then struck out Jaime Garcia as the Braves got out of the bases-loaded, no-outs jam unscathed.

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