Miami—After more than an hour of reflection, Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson still was at a loss for words to explain how one of his more erratic performances ended with perhaps the most improbable win of his career.
The right-hander allowed a career-high seven walks and seven stolen bases in five innings, but gave up just one run in a 7-1 win Wednesday afternoon at Marlins Park.
"Seven walks and seven stolen bases — to pitch five innings and only give up one run, I have no idea how I did that," Hanson said. "I don't even know if that's ever happened."
It's happened, but not in nearly a century. The Marlins were the first team since the 1914 St. Louis Browns to collect at least seven steals in a game and score just once.
Juan Francisco went 3-for-4 with a mammoth homer and three RBIs, and Michael Bourn and Jason Heyward also homered for the Braves, who won the series 2-1 to finish 4-3 on their trip.
The Marlins went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and scored only once in the first three innings despite three doubles, four stolen bases and four walks in that period. Francisco pulled a two-run homer an estimated 435 feet down the right-field line to put the Braves ahead 3-1 in the fourth, and Bourn added a two-run homer in the fifth for a 5-1 lead.
"It was really weird," said Hanson (11-4), who had seven strikeouts and allowed three hits while picking up his eighth win in 12 road starts, tied for the major league lead. "Definitely not ideal, but we got the win. That's what counts."
The seven stolen bases were the most by a major league team this season, and all came in Hanson's five innings as the Marlins exploited his slow delivery. He picked off Jose Reyes trying to steal third base in the third inning, the only Marlins base stealer caught all afternoon.
"I think if we were in Vegas it would have been a nice line — seven walks, seven stolen bases, seven strikeouts," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "That's a good line in the slot machines, but it's not something we want to do every fifth day. He got his 11th win not being real sharp."
As if to accentuate Hanson's ragged outing, Kris Medlen followed with three near-perfect innings, allowing one walk with five strikeouts in 46 pitches.
"You get a lead like that, you just want to keep it going," Medlen said. "You get a couple of scoreless innings out of the bullpen, why not get another one? We had a lead, so I could just execute my pitches and pound the zone."
It was such an impressive performance that Gonzalez said Medlen has again thrust himself into consideration for a spot in the starting rotation if the Braves fail to acquire another pitcher before Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline.
The Braves pushed back struggling No. 5 starter Jair Jurrjens' next start to Tuesday because of an off day in the schedule Thursday, and by then they could acquire a new starter or go with Medlen.
Gonzalez and pitching coach Roger McDowell considered letting Medlen pitch the ninth inning, but decided against it because he pitched an inning Monday.
"So we didn't want to take him further than that," Gonzalez said. "But [starting] is an option going forward. It all depends on how we come through the couple of games before that turn comes. He's been terrific bridging that gap in the bullpen, getting us to [relievers Eric] O'Flaherty and [Craig] Kimbrel. But it's an option, and we're weighing it and thinking about it."
