Atlanta Braves defeat Philadelphia Phillies, 3-2 - MLB Recap
Dan Uggla hit a go-ahead homer off Roy Halladay in the eighth inning, as the Atlanta Braves held on for a 3-2 win against Philadelphia Phillies, at Turner Field in Atlanta on Sunday.
Uggla became a thorn in Halladay's side, going 2-for-3 with a walk while scoring all of the Braves’ runs. Freddie Freeman drove him in two times with an opportunity infield single and a sacrifice fly.
"Each and every time you do something like that, it just helps you feel more part of the them, and I already do," said Uggla, who was traded to the Braves by the Marlins this past off-season. "These guys have made me feel so welcome already. But at the same
time, you want to contribute and do your part."
Jonny Venters (3-0) threw a scoreless eighth in relief of Tim Hudson. The Braves starter went seven innings and limited Philadelphia to two runs, which came on a homer by John Mayberry, Jr.
Halladay (5-3) pitched a complete game and allowed three runs for just the second time this season, but took his second straight dropping decision.
Atlanta hit the board first in the fourth inning when Uggla went first-to-third on Hinske's broken-bat to set up the Braves’ first run.
While Uggla used aggressive base-running to score Atlanta’s first two runs, he used pure power to put them in front. Uggla dominated the game and his presence was felt throughout.
Philadelphia responded in the sixth inning when Placido Polanco led off with a walk and scored on Mayberry's line-drive homer to left-centre with two outs for a 2-1 lead.
The braves knotted it at two in the sixth when Uggla walked, moved to third on Eric Hinske's single to right and scored on Freeman's sacrifice fly.
Uggla worked a full count and fired a tremendous fastball over the left-field wall in the eighth inning. It was a brilliant home run by Uggla. The pitch was similar to the one Mayberry knocked out of the park and this run proved to be the decisive score.
It was Uggla’s seventh homer of the season, as Halladay commented he felt he had to challenge Uggla.
"You don't want to walk the leadoff guy," Halladay said. "Obviously he's been struggling, but he's still a good hitter and it's kind of a catch-22. So I went after him and it wasn't a good pitch."
Craig Kimbrel sealed the win at 3-2 in the ninth inning, retiring three straight batters after walking Ben Francisco, to earn his 10th save. The Braves dominated the game and put in a brilliant performance, as the Phillies seemed to struggle throughout the
game.
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