Free Live Odds - Scores and Odds - Sports News - Sports Information - Live Scores - Sports Statistics - Sports Articles - Sports Standings - Live Scor

O&N HOME | NFL MLB NBA NHL NCAAF NCAABk Nascar Golf Soccer Tennis Boxing Horse Racing All Sports

Johnson, Braves take down Astros

Sat 5th, July 2008

Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Kelly Johnson hit a two-run homer to lead Atlanta past Houston, 6-2, in the opener of a three-game weekend set from Turner Field.

Chipper Jones and Brian McCann each had a pair of hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Braves, who snapped a five-game losing streak.

Tim Hudson (9-6) allowed just four hits and one run over seven innings, fanning six and walking three to record his second win in three starts.

Lance Berkman knocked in a run for the Astros, who lost for the fourth straight time.

Starter Brian Moehler (4-4) took the loss for Houston, charged with six hits and five runs with one strikeout and three walks in six innings.

Already up by two, Johnson gave Atlanta breathing room with one out in the home sixth on a two-run line-drive homer to right. Jones then laced a single to right with two down in the seventh for the Braves' sixth run of the contest.

Houston loaded the bases with one out in the eighth. Facing Jeff Bennett, Miguel Tejada's soft liner was gloved by Johnson on a short hop. He threw to second for a force, then caught Mark Loretta in a rundown between second and third to complete an unconventional double play -- but not before Darin Erstad crossed the plate to make it 6-2.

Mike Gonzalez ended the contest by retiring the side in order with a pair of strikeouts.

"It was a big performance by the offense to get some runs," Johnson said. "It's one of those wins that you start thinking we need to pull out more often, like division games against Philly."

The Braves picked up a pair of runs in the second on a Mark Kotsay sacrifice fly followed by Jason Perry's RBI triple.

"It was good to get the game started off with a hit, but I didn't get any more," said Perry of his first big-league at-bat. "There's always tomorrow. I want to go out there and show what I can do. You get a win, and there's nothing better than that."

Atlanta went up by three in the third when McCann slapped a two-out run- scoring single.

Hudson retired 13 straight batters from a walk to Carlos Lee in the first until issuing a lead-off walk to Moehler in the sixth. The Astros finally broke through in that frame on Berkman's two-out RBI single.

"We played well, then we scuffled for a few weeks," said Erstad of his club's inconsistent play of late. "We started playing better ball in the last series. We came up today and just didn't get it done."

Game Notes

Atlanta has won six of the last 10 meetings...Prior to the game, the Braves optioned Jeff Francoeur to Double-A Mississippi after hitting just .234 this season and called up Perry from Triple-A Richmond for his major-league debut...Perry was the first Brave in franchise history to triple in his first major-league at-bat.