Braves use big innings to rout Reds

ATLANTA -- Looking at the Braves' schedule, an early September series against the Reds wouldn't seem nearly as vital as the remaining ones they have against their division opponents. But being a veteran of numerous pennant races, Chipper Jones saw importance in this weekend.
With the four teams that trail them in the National League East playing divisional games this weekend, Jones knew the Braves had a chance to push further away from at least a couple of them. His hustle, combined with Jeff Francoeur's latest homer and another Marcus Giles double, allowed them to move one step closer toward making a 14th consecutive division title a reality.
Francoeur's three-run homer highlighted a five-run third inning and Giles' two-run double capped a four-run sixth inning that allowed the Braves to cruise to a 9-3 win over the Reds at Turner Field on Saturday night.
"When everybody is clicking, we can put a lot of runs on the board," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "They've been clicking pretty good right now."
With their seventh win in nine games against the Reds this year, the Braves earned their first three-game winning streak since claiming victory in their final six July games, and they extended their division lead over the second-place Phillies to five games when Philadelphia lost to Washington in extra innings. When they attempt to sweep this three-game set on Sunday afternoon, they're hopeful that Francoeur will be in the lineup.
During the four-run sixth inning, Brian Shackelford threw pitches that hit Francoeur on the left ankle and Julio Franco on the left knee. Francoeur left the game after the inning. But after being examined, it was determined he didn't need X-rays and that he could possibly play in the series finale.
"I feel fortunate, getting out of here the way it was," Francoeur said. "When you get hit in the ankle, it could have been a whole lot worse. I'd like to [play on Sunday afternoon]."
Fortunately for the Braves, Francoeur had already done plenty of damage with his three-run homer off Reds starter Luke Hudson. The opposite-field shot landed in the Braves' bullpen in right-center field.
"It felt good," Francoeur said. "I feel like lately I've been able to see it a little better. I'm waiting for my pitches again. When you do that, most of the time you'll hit."
Francoeur wouldn't have had the opportunity to drill his 12th homer if Jones hadn't hustled to first base to beat out a potential inning-ending double play. His grounder scored Jorge Sosa and, more importantly, prolonged the inning long enough for four more runs to score.
After Jones reached, he raced from first to score on Andruw Jones' RBI double into the left-field corner. Two batters later, Francoeur sent Hudson's 2-0 delivery over the wall in right-center field.
The early advantage was gladly accepted by Sosa, who began Atlanta's third inning with his second career hit -- a broken-bat single. The right-hander allowed three runs -- two earned -- and four hits in five innings. Three of the four walks he issued came in Cincinnati's two-run fourth inning.
Sosa's control problems were partly due to a strained hamstring that he suffered when he tripped while running from second to third base in the third inning. He doesn't believe the ailment will force him to miss his next scheduled start. That's good news for the Braves, who have won 11 of the 15 games he's started.
"He did fine until the one inning, after he did the running," Cox said. "He wasn't wild wild. He was missing by just a tad."
After Sosa exited, the Braves' bullpen shut the Reds down for the second consecutive night. Blaine Boyer, John Foster, Macay McBride and Jim Brower combined to allow just one baserunner during the final four innings.
Unfortunately for the Reds, their bullpen didn't give them a chance to keep the game close. Shackelford walked Adam LaRoche to begin the sixth, and then he hit Francoeur. Two outs later, he loaded the bases by hitting Franco.
That prompted the entry of Todd Coffey, who allowed Rafael Furcal to deliver a two-run single that was followed by Giles' two-run double off the left-field wall. With 41 doubles, the veteran second baseman needs just eight more to match the Atlanta single-season record he set in 2003.

Source: http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/