When Freddie Freeman hits opposite-field line drives on a consistent basis, the Braves know their big first baseman has found his groove and is ready to do damage. Mets pitchers saw some examples Sunday.
Freeman had a two-run double in the five-run third inning and a homer in the sixth — opposite-field hits to left field — as the Braves pounded the Mets 9-4 at Turner Field to salvage a split of a series reduced to two games by Saturday’s rainout.
Tim Hudson worked 7-1/3 strong innings for his 201st career win, and the Braves had a big enough lead to withstand a second consecutive ragged outing by the bullpen and finish a 3-3 homestand on a winning note.
“Any time as an offense when we can get out to an early lead and help the pitcher settle down, it’s a good day,” Freeman said after his second three-hit, three-RBI game in six days. “Getting Huddy five runs in the first three innings, you start to feel good. But we kept going, scored some more runs to give ourselves a little more cushion.”
Hudson (4-1) was charged with five hits, three runs and one walk with seven strikeouts, and improved his career record to a 138-3 (with 28 no-decisions) when he’s been given a lead of at least three runs.
In his 200th career win on Tuesday, the Braves built a seven-run lead after five innings in an 8-1 win.
“I’ve been fortunate to be out there when some guys have had some really good at-bats and put some crooked numbers on the board,” Hudson said. “I’ll take them any way I can get them, because I know that a lot of times you’re going to come across some pitching that’s going to hog-tie you a little bit. Take them as them come.”
Much as they teed off on Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez on Tuesday, the Braves roughed up Mets lefty Jonathan Niese on Sunday. Niese had been 5-1 in seven starts against the Braves over the past two seasons, including three wins and a 2.00 ERA in four last season.
Niese wiggled out of a jam in the second inning when Dan Uggla hit a one-out triple – his first since 2011 and the Braves’ first of the season – and was stranded there following a B.J. Upton strikeout and Reed Johnson groundout.
But the Braves capitalized in the second inning after Andrelton Simmons’ one-out double and Chris Johnson’s walk. Justin Upton followed with an RBI single before Freeman drove a ball the other way to the warning track, over the head of left fielder Lucas Duda, who made an awkward attempt to catch it.
One out later, Freeman scored on a wild pitch. Uggla walked and B.J. Upton and Reed Johnson followed with consecutive two-out singles for a 5-0 lead.
Reed Johnson added a two-run single in the fifth and Freeman homered in the sixth, his first since opening day.
“That’s a great sign,” Uggla said of Freeman’s opposite-field power. “First the double over (Duda’s) head, then the homer. That’s when you know he’s getting locked (in). He takes it to another gear whenever there’s runner on base, as well.”
After going 4-for-22 in his first six games back from a stint on the disabled list for a strained oblique, Freeman was 9-for-25 on the six-game homestand, including a pair of three-hit, three-RBI games.
“It’s a work in progress,” Freeman said. “Just keep working hard. Coming off the DL, my timing was a little off and everything was going to right field. But the last couple of days, everything’s been working out well.”
Hudson’s only hiccup came in the fourth inning, when five of his first six pitches were balls and his seventh was driven over the center-field fence by David Wright to cut the lead to 5-2.
“I got behind in the count against the first hitter,” said Hudson, who walked Daniel Murphy to start the inning. “Obviously you don’t want to go out and walk the leadoff hitter when you’ve got a nice lead, especially with a guy like David Wright on deck. So it was a stooge move on my end. I paid for it.”
Hudson retired 12 of the next 14 batters before Mike Baxter’s leadoff double in the eighth. He struck out the next hitter, Ruben Tejada, before being replaced by lefty Luis Avilan.
Avilan got the next out, then gave up a walk, a wild pitch and an RBI single. He was replaced by Cory Gearrin, who hit the only batter he faced, loading the bases. Eric O’Flaherty was brought in to stem the tide, but walked Justin Turner to force in a run and bring up Marlon Byrd.
Byrd hit a game-tying homer off O’Flaherty in the eighth inning Friday in a wrenching, 10-inning Braves loss. This time, O’Flaherty bounced a 2-2 pitch to Byrd before striking him out swinging.
