DEL.ICIO.USMajor League Baseball: Atlanta Braves
Jurrjens, Braves nip Rockies
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Saturday, July 11, 2009
DENVER — Jason Marquis sought to make Rockies history at his former team’s expense on Saturday night, but the Braves and Jair Jurrjens wanted no part of that.
Jurrjens took a shutout into the seventh inning, and the bullpen hung on for a 4-3 Braves win against Colorado at Coors Field.
AP
Martin Prado hustles to third base during the Braves’ 4-3 win over the Rockies Saturday night in Denver.
The Rockies scored three runs in the seventh and made the Braves sweat till the end, when closer Rafael Soriano got three consecutive strikeouts after a leadoff single in the ninth.
As of late Saturday, Soriano was still being considered for a spot on the National League All-Star team as a last-minute replacement for injured Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton.
“He’s so deserving of being an All-Star,” said catcher Brian McCann, who had a double and two sacrifice flies to help the Braves improve to 43-44 with a chance to reach .500 on Sunday in the last game before the All-Star break.
Manager Bobby Cox said he had left a message with National League All-Star manager Charlie Manuel and expected to talk to him late Saturday or early Sunday about Soriano’s chances.
Meanwhile, Cox didn’t downplay the significance of possibly getting the record back to .500 with a win Sunday, which would also give the Braves their second consecutive road series win after going nearly two months without one.
“It’d be great,” manager Bobby Cox said of .500. “I’m looking forward to it. I was hoping the Phillies would lose, too. But they came back.”
Philadelphia, the National League East leader, remained five games ahead of the third-place Braves, who have the same record (9-4) as the Phillies since June 28.
The Braves denied Marquis (11-6) in his bid to become the first Colorado pitcher to win 12 games before the break. The All-Star right-hander, an ex-Brave, was charged with three runs and five hits in six innings, including two singles by Jurrjens in his first multi-hit game.
Marquis had been 3-0 with a 1.14 ERA in his past four home starts, hammering home sinker balls to tame the famously hitter-friendly ballpark.
Jurrjens (7-7) got similar results Saturday by keeping his pitches down through six innings, just as he did when he threw 7-2/3 scoreless innings to win his previous start at Coors on June 16, 2008.
He was charged with two runs and five hits Saturday and won his fourth consecutive start against the Rockies.
“We did the little things early in the game,” McCann said. “J.J. pitched great. Manny [Acosta] got the big out, and Soriano closed the door.”
Acosta recorded perhaps the biggest out of the game on an inning-ending grounder by Chris Iannetta with two on in the eighth. Acosta came in to face him after lefty Eric O’Flaherty gave up a hit and a walk.
In the ninth, Soriano gave up a leadoff single by Seth Smith before mowing down Ryan Spilborghs, Dexter Fowler and Clint Barmes for his 12th save in 13 chances.
“His fastball is just crazy,” Jurrjens said of Soriano, who lowered his ERA to 1.48 and raised his strikeout total to 58 (with 15 walks) in 42-2/3 innings, including seven strikeouts in three scoreless innings in his past three games.
“He throws a fastball down the middle, and it just explodes,” Jurrjens said. “I wish I could do it that easily, throw it down the middle and they swing and miss.”
Jurrjens sailed through six scoreless innings on three hits before allowing a seventh-inning leadoff homer to Troy Tulowitzki and double by Ian Stewart. That was all for the right-hander.
Peter Moylan replaced him and gave up consecutive one-out singles by Seth Smith and pinch-hitter Garrett Atkins, before the third run of the inning scored on a passed ball.
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