The Braves brought home more than a little jet lag and some warm fuzzies from a scintillating 5-2 trip to the west coast.
They continued their clever work at the plate too, working station to station and using right field to work ahead of A.J. Burnett and the Pirates, until Dan Uggla and Chipper Jones broke it open with back-to-back two-run hits for a 6-1 win.
The Braves used some judicious at-bats to take a 2-1 lead on Burnett, the former Marlins ace who was off to such a hot start with Pittsburgh, then tripled the score after loading the bases on the Pirates bullpen in the seventh.
“Any time we can have a lead going into the sixth or seventh inning, we’ve got a chance,” Uggla said. “Throw in some timely hitting and grind out at-bats and pick each other up -- that’s the goal every day.”
The Braves opened a seven-game home stand by moving to 6-1 on the season at Turner Field. It came at a cost. Catcher Brian McCann had to leave the game after the fifth inning with a strained intercostal muscle in his right side.
His departure conjured up memories of the last time the Pirates were in town last July, when McCann strained his left oblique muscle throwing to second during the 19-inning marathon July 26, went to the disabled list and was not his usual self for the final six weeks of the season.
This time, he injured his side throwing to second in the fourth inning but hopes the injury isn’t as serious since it’s higher up than an oblique muscle.
“I just want to be smart about things and make sure this a day or two or three thing instead of a DL stint,” McCann said.
Both Uggla and Jones smoked balls off reliever Evan Meek for doubles and made diving catches to help Kris Medlen work a three-inning save, his first as a major leaguer.
“Everybody knows how important these games are, in September," Uggla said. "To take away as many games as we can from other teams and win the ones we’re supposed to -- it’s going to pay its dividends in September.”
The Braves moved to 10-2 in games Jones has played in this year, and the 40-year-old is hitting .300 (12-for-40 ) with a double, three home runs and 12 RBI in what’s shaping up to be quite the farewell tour.
“Chipper looks like he’s 12 out there,” Braves Hall of Famer Dale Murphy said as he was leaving the broadcast booth following Friday night’s game.
Uggla made a leaping catch of a line drive to start a double play in the second and robbed former Brave Nate McLouth on a pop-up in the seventh, almost taking out Pastornicky in the process.
“I took a peek to see where Mikey (Bourn) was and it turns out I kind of stole it from Pastornicky,” Uggla said. “I don’t even think he was going to have to dive for it. I was just glad that one of us caught it.”
Martin Prado started the Braves good work at the plate with an RBI single to right in the second inning and the rookie Pastornicky continued it in the third, working what became the game-winning RBI single of his own to right.
After sitting for three games to regroup with his batting average down to .175, Pastornicky has gone 5-for-9 with an RBI and two runs in three games. He scored a run and drove in the game-winner Friday, after Jason Heyward moved into scoring position for him with his seventh stolen base of the season.
When the team with the most runs in the National League (101 entering the series) faced the team with the league’s second-best ERA (2.58), the runs figured to come at a premium. Tommy Hanson pitched like he understood that, working around six hits and three walks to limit the Pirates to one run in six innings.
Hanson won for the third time in four starts, and lowered his ERA to 3.00, with the help of double plays in the second and fourth innings.
“I was pulling off some pitches, so I didn’t have my best command, but I battled and made a pitch when I had to,” Hanson said.
