sponsor


Homepage > Sports
E-Mail News Alerts
Get breaking news and daily headlines.
Browse all e-mail newsletters

All-Star McCann Shines As Braves Clobber Padres

POSTED: 8:35 pm EDT July 13, 2008

(Sports Network) - Brian McCann went 3-for-3, homered, doubled, drove in three runs and scored three times, as the Atlanta Braves thrashed the San Diego Padres, 12-3, in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Mark Teixeira doubled twice, knocked in two runs and scored twice for the Braves, who enter the All-Star break on a two-game win streak. Atlanta finished the first half with a 45-50 record and sits fourth in the National League East, 6 1/2 games behind first-place Philadelphia. Brent Lillibridge went 3-for-5 with two runs batted in, and the Braves went 10-for-16 with runners in scoring position.

McCann, an All-Star this season, has reached base in seven straight plate appearances leading to the break.

Jorge Campillo (4-4) allowed two runs on five hits in six innings to pick up the win. Tim Hudson, who came in to get work before the break, tossed a perfect eighth inning in his first major league relief appearance after 301 starts over 10 seasons.

"Typical Campillo," said Braves manager Bobby Cox. "He gives up one or two runs. He can pitch, he really knows what he's doing and our guys did a great job. All we have to do is win one and get on a roll, and funny things happen. It changes your whole mindset."

Kevin Kouzmanoff went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBI for the Padres, who have lost three of four overall and reached the All-Star break last in the NL West with a 37-58 mark. Chase Headley also homered in the losing effort.

Randy Wolf (6-9) was tagged for six runs on six hits in five-plus innings, while Cla Meredith allowed two runs in one-third of an inning in relief.

Atlanta touched Wolf for three runs in the first inning and never looked back. Gregor Blanco was hit by a pitch to start the game, and after a sacrifice bunt, Chipper Jones worked a walk. Teixeira brought both runners home with a double, and McCann followed one out later with a bloop single that scored Teixeira.

Singles by Scott Hairston, Luis Rodriguez and Kouzmanoff pulled back a run in the bottom half.

Wolf then settled down into the sixth, when the Braves pulled away, scoring five runs without an extra-base hit. Jeff Francoeur singled to lead off, and after McCann was hit by a pitch, Mark Kotsay plated a run with a single to center. Wolf was chased in favor of Meredith, but Lillibridge kept up the rally with an RBI single to left. After Campillo struck out, Blanco and Martin Prado picked up back-to-back RBI hits. Bryan Corey came on in relief of Meredith, and Jones finished off the outburst with a sacrifice fly.

Kouzmanoff brought the Padres within 8-2 with a two-out homer in the bottom half, but McCann answered with a solo blast off Josh Banks in the seventh.

With Cha Seung Baek on to get extra work, the Braves tacked on three more in the ninth. McCann knocked in Teixeira with a double, and after Kotsay singled, Lillibridge doubled to bring in McCann. Joe Thatcher relieved Baek, but Kelly Johnson blooped a single to center for a 12-2 lead.

"If we swing the bats like we did today in the second half, it's going to be pretty easy," Jones said. "Our pitching's done a great job keeping us up in games lately. You have to bring offense to the game, can't take any days off in any facet of the game."

Headley led off the bottom half with a homer off Mike Gonzalez, and while Jody Gerut followed with a triple, the Padres couldn't overcome the colossal deficit.

Game Notes

Braves manager Bobby Cox captured his 2,300th win...McCann's homer was his 18th, which leads all major league catchers. He also leads all backstops with 27 doubles...The Padres were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded six men on base...The Braves return from the All-Star break on Friday with the start of a three-game series against the Nationals, while the Padres open the second half with a 10-game road trip, beginning Thursday with the first of four in St. Louis.

Links We Like

Sponsored Content
Do you suffer from chronic pain? Our Pain Management center can offer some techniques for relief. More

Don’t wait to long to take a detailed inventory of your stuff just in case disaster strikes your home. More

With mortgage rates near historic lows, now may be a good time to refinance. Get a fixed rate as low as 6.0%. *See Terms. More

Cash back credit cards reward you for using them with cash back incentives and rebate programs. More

Like online video? Then you'll love Now See This.

Links We Like includes a selection of information, tools and resources from our partners and sponsors.
Sponsored Links
Local Teams
Clemson
S. Carolina
Furman
Wofford

Consumer Info


Sponsored Content Provided by ARA