Dan Uggla used to kill the Braves when he played for Florida, and now seems intent on doing the same to his former team.
For the second consecutive night, Uggla hit a three-run homer to power the Braves past the Marlins, his third-inning long ball the big blow in a 5-1 win Saturday night at Turner Field.
His two-out homer was his 20th of the season and extended his hitting streak to 21 games, helping Tim Hudson to his 10th win and the injury-riddled Braves to their fourth win in their past five games.
“It’s always fun seeing them and playing against them," Uggla said of the Marlins, who traded him to in November. "They’ve got a lot of talent, which makes them a scary ballclub. I’m happy that we’ve come out on top these last two games, and looking forward to getting a sweep tomorrow.”
Hudson (10-7) allowed one run and six hits with no walks in seven innings, collecting his fifth win in his past six decisions. He watched Uggla do to the Marlins what he did to the Braves a lot of times in the past.
"Those first couple of months are behind him and he’s playing with some confidence right now," Hudson said. "He’s going out there and having some fun. The beginning of the season there was a little pressure and some things he wasn’t quite used to. "That’s the kind of player we are used to seeing."
It was Uggla’s second homer in a span of four at-bats against his former team, after his seventh-inning shot Friday snapped a scoreless tie and sent the Braves to a 5-0 win.
“If there’s any club in the league that should know how to pitch to Uggla," said Marlins manager Jack McKeon, who started that sentence with an expletive. "He’d been with us for all these years. These guys had been with him. Two nights in a row, he hits three-run home runs. That’s the difference in the ballgames. Great kid, but we’ve got to get him out.’’
Freddie Freeman had his fifth consecutive multi-hit game Saturday and extended his own hitting streak to 14 games, and Eric Hinske added an eighth-inning homer as the Braves beat the Marlins for the ninth time in their past 11 matchups.
The Marlins loaded the bases against reliever Jonny Venters in the eighth inning before he struck out Hanley Ramirez to protect a three-run lead.
"Danny got a big three-run homer and [Hinske] added on," said manager Fredi Gonzalez, whose Braves remained five games behind National League East leader Philadelphia. “This is the right time [for Uggla's surge]. It really is. You get him going hot and Freddie is staying hot.
"We're inching to getting closer to some [better] health. We're winning ball games with [injured catcher Brian] McCann on the bench. It’s good to see that from your team, from the other guys."
Hudson raised his career record to a gaudy 140-5 in games when his team has scored four or more runs while he has been in the game.
In his past 10 starts, the veteran right-hander is 6-2 with a 2.34 ERA.
"You give him a little cushion and just watch him go to work," Uggla said. "He’s got great stuff, always has, and hopefully will for another four or five years.
The Braves scored four in the third inning to stake Hudson to a comfortable lead. Martin Prado’s two-out single drove in the first run, and Freeman followed with a single that extended the rookie first baseman’s career-best winning streak.
He's hit .389 with six homers and 18 RBIs in his past 24 games and has seven multi-hit games during his 14-game streak.
Uggla followed Freeman with a first-pitch homer off Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez (6-4), his eighth home run during the longest active hitting streak in the major leagues.
Uggla has hit .337 with 18 RBIs during the streak while raising his average 33 points, from .173 on July 4 to .206. It’s still the lowest qualifying average in the NL.
In five seasons with the Marlins, Uggla had 23 home runs and 62 RBIs in 89 games against the Braves, more homers and RBIs than he has against any other team.
He was mired in a career-worst slump in the first two series against the Marlins this season and has only five hits in eight games against them. However, three of the hits were home runs.
Hudson didn’t give up a run until the sixth inning. Emilio Bonifacio hit a two-out double in the sixth and scored on a single by former Braves infielder Omar Infante.
