PHOENIX (AP) -- After running up the offense for 10 games, the Atlanta Braves relied on Tommy Hanson to carry them to another win.
Hanson pitched seven strong innings, Dan Uggla homered and the streaking Braves beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2.
Hanson
allowed two runs on five hits for the Braves, who have won 10 of 11.
Hanson (2-2) struck out seven, walked one and retired the last 13
batters he faced.
Catcher Brian "McCann did a heck of a job with
him," said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez. "He kinda got the hamster back
on the wheel. It certainly was different than the last couple of games
here."
Uggla broke a 2-all tie with a one-out towering drive to left, his 12th career home run against the Diamondbacks.
"I
was hoping we were going to keep putting some runs up but it ended up
being enough," said Uggla of the Braves' hitters, who has scored 19 runs
in the series' first two games. "They (the pitchers) picked us up
tonight. They've been grinding right along with us."
Johnny Venters struck out the side in the eighth and Craig Kimbrel did the same in the ninth for his fifth save.
"It's
comforting from my standpoint and the team's standpoint to know they're
going to go out and get the job done," Hanson said.
Arizona
starter Joe Saunders (1-1) settled down after Uggla's home run, retiring
13 of his final 14 batters, but couldn't prevent the Diamondbacks'
fifth straight loss.
"We had opportunities then they just shut us
down," said Arizona manager Kirk Gibson. "They were pretty dominant and
have been all series. Our guys have been trying but it seems like when
you try too hard you over think it. It's very hard to hit that way."
Saunders
gave up three runs -- two earned -- on six hits and a walk over seven
innings and struck out five and saw his ERA creep up to 1.29.
Struggles at the plate have been a problem for the Diamondbacks, who have scored two runs or less in four straight games.
Saunders
walked Chipper Jones with the bases loaded in the first to give the
Braves a 1-0 lead. Arizona tied it in the bottom of the inning when
Gerardo Parra singled, went to third on a double by Upton and scored on
an RBI groundout by Miguel Montero.
"He wasn't 100 percent but he was out there for his teammates," Gibson said of Upton. "It was pretty good arms he saw tonight."
Jack
Wilson singled and scored on Martin Prado's two-out single in the
second to make it 2-1. But Kubel tied the game for the second time with
his home run, his first since August 31 for the Minnesota Twins against
the Chicago White Sox.
NOTES: Atlanta entered the game
with 74 runs scored in its previous 10 games and had lost 3-of-4 games
this season when scoring three or fewer runs. ... Saunders has allowed
four runs -- three earned -- in 21 innings. ... Kubel's home run ended a
streak of 101 at bats without a homer for the Diamondbacks. . Atlanta
RF Jason Heyward's 10-game hitting streak was snapped. He went 0 for 4
and was called out on strikes in his first and last at bats. ... Upton
is 4 for 9 in his career against Hanson. ... Diamondbacks RHP Ian
Kennedy will attempt to win his third game without a loss and also end
Arizona's losing streak on Sunday afternoon when he faced Atlanta RHP
Randall Delgado. Delgado has won both his starts despite getting only
one out above the minimum five innings needed to qualify for a win in
each.
