PITTSBURGH — Tim Hudson limited Pittsburgh to two hits and an unearned run over seven innings and the Atlanta Braves halted their seven-game road losing streak and the Pirates’ six-game winning streak with an 8-1 victory Monday in the second game of a doubleheader.
In the opener, Freddy Sanchez hit a three-run double and Zach Duke pitched six shutout innings as the Pirates won 5-0.
With Mark Kotsay and Brian McCann driving in three runs each, Atlanta avoided its first four-game sweep by Pittsburgh since Sept. 1-3, 1978. The Pirates ended their longest winning streak since winning 10 straight from June 25-July 5, 2004.
Hudson (6-2) won his third in a row, holding the Pirates to a lone single over his final six innings while finishing with five strikeouts and two walks. Pittsburgh’s only run came in the first on first baseman Greg Norton’s error on Nate McLouth’s grounder.
Atlanta came back to take a 3-1 lead on Kotsay’s two-run double in the fourth against John Van Benschoten (0-1), and McCann’s three-run homer in the fifth made it 7-1. Kotsay added an RBI double in the seventh.
Hudson has permitted only three earned runs and 11 hits over 23 innings in beating the Reds, Padres and Pirates in consecutive starts, averaging nearly eight innings per start.
The Braves still own the majors’ worst road record, 5-14, but finally ended a road losing streak that extended over its last two road trips. They also stopped Pittsburgh’s seven-game winning streak at home.
Van Benschoten, one of the majors’ worst starting pitchers last season with an 0-7 record and a 10.15 ERA in nine starts, wasn’t much better in his first 2008 start. The 2001 first-round draft pick was roughed up for seven runs, six earned, and nine hits over four-plus innings. The right-hander has a 1-12 record and 8.84 ERA in 21 career major league games and hasn’t won since 2004.
Even while splitting, the Braves left 24 on base, 15 in the opener as Duke (2-2) shook off five walks and three errors behind him while giving up five hits.
Duke was constantly in trouble, with at least two runners reaching in all but one inning, but he got key outs when he needed them to strand 10 runners. He won successive starts for the first time since beating the Brewers and Mets, respectively, on Sept. 11 and 17, 2006.
Braves rookie Jair Jurrjens (4-3) got himself into trouble in the fifth by walking Jason Michaels and hitting light-hitting rookie Brian Bixler with a pitch in the upper back, helping the Pirates load the bases.
After Duke struck out, Sanchez — 10-for-28 (.357) with eight RBIs as a leadoff batter since moving up one spot in the order last week — cleared the bases with a double to right-center. Adam LaRoche added a two-run homer, his fourth, in the eighth against Manny Acosta.
Notes: The Pirates went into the doubleheader with a six-game errorless streak, only to commit six errors — all but one by infielders. ... Hudson lost his previous two road starts, pitching only three innings in each. ... Braves 1B Mark Teixeira left in the fourth inning of the opener with back spasms on a cloudy, chilly 48-degree day. He didn’t play in the second game. ... Pittsburgh won the season series 5-2.
Pirates 5,
Braves 0, Game One
PITTSBURGH — Maybe it’s no coincidence the Pittsburgh Pirates developed some consistency when Freddy Sanchez and Zach Duke did.
Sanchez’s three-run double in the fifth inning put Pittsburgh ahead, leading Duke and the streaking Pirates past the Atlanta Braves 5-0 Monday in the first game of a doubleheader.
Duke (2-2) shook off five walks and three errors behind him to limit Atlanta to five hits over six innings, and the Pirates won their sixth in a row — their longest winning streak since taking 10 consecutive games from June 25-July 5, 2004.
The Braves lost their seventh straight on the road. They have the majors’ best home record (14-4) and worst road mark (4-14).
Atlanta has lost three in a row in Pittsburgh after sweeping a six-game homestand against the Reds and Padres.
‘‘I have no clue while we struggle on the road,’’ Braves rookie starter Jair Jurrjens said. ‘‘It’s a crazy thing a team goes through during a season and I hope we snap out of it quick, because we need to win some games on the road. Something on the road just doesn’t click with us right now.’’
What is clicking for the Pirates is their starting pitching, which is 4-0 with a 2.29 ERA during the winning streak. Duke was constantly in trouble, with at least two runners reaching in all but one inning, but he got key outs when he needed them while stranding 10 runners.
‘‘The big key was most of the runners came when we had two outs already, so you can focus on getting that one out. It made it a little easier,’’ Duke said.
The Braves left 15 on overall while being shut out on eight hits by Duke, Damaso Marte and Sean Burnett. Duke has pitched well over three consecutive starts, allowing five runs in 20 1-3 innings.
‘‘Zach’s keeping the ball down, using his sinker and he’s getting a lot more ground balls,’’ manager John Russell said. ‘‘He’s going to give up some hits, but he attacks the zone down with his sinker, mixes in some off-speed pitches, and makes them hit it on the ground.’’
Duke hadn’t won since June 12, a span of 12 outings over two seasons, until beating the Giants 12-6 by allowing three runs over 7 1-3 innings on Tuesday. The left-hander hadn’t won successive starts since beating the Brewers and Mets, respectively, on Sept. 11 and 17, 2006, but has allowed three runs or fewer in six of eight starts this season.
Jurrjens (4-3) got himself into trouble in the fifth by walking Jason Michaels and hitting light-hitting rookie Brian Bixler with a pitch in the upper back, helping the Pirates load the bases.
After Duke struck out, Sanchez — 10-for-24 (.417) with eight RBIs as a leadoff batter since moving up one spot in the order last week — cleared the bases with a double to right-center.
‘‘I don’t think it makes any difference where he hits,’’ Duke said. ‘‘He’s steady Freddy, that’s what he does.’’
Jurrjens said, ‘‘The pitch, I thought, was a good pitch, a two-seam fastball outside, but he’s a good hitter and he hit it for a double. It cost us the game.’’
Adam LaRoche added a two-run homer, his fourth, following Ryan Doumit’s leadoff double in the eighth against Manny Acosta.
In the opener, Freddy Sanchez hit a three-run double and Zach Duke pitched six shutout innings as the Pirates won 5-0.
With Mark Kotsay and Brian McCann driving in three runs each, Atlanta avoided its first four-game sweep by Pittsburgh since Sept. 1-3, 1978. The Pirates ended their longest winning streak since winning 10 straight from June 25-July 5, 2004.
Hudson (6-2) won his third in a row, holding the Pirates to a lone single over his final six innings while finishing with five strikeouts and two walks. Pittsburgh’s only run came in the first on first baseman Greg Norton’s error on Nate McLouth’s grounder.
Atlanta came back to take a 3-1 lead on Kotsay’s two-run double in the fourth against John Van Benschoten (0-1), and McCann’s three-run homer in the fifth made it 7-1. Kotsay added an RBI double in the seventh.
Hudson has permitted only three earned runs and 11 hits over 23 innings in beating the Reds, Padres and Pirates in consecutive starts, averaging nearly eight innings per start.
The Braves still own the majors’ worst road record, 5-14, but finally ended a road losing streak that extended over its last two road trips. They also stopped Pittsburgh’s seven-game winning streak at home.
Van Benschoten, one of the majors’ worst starting pitchers last season with an 0-7 record and a 10.15 ERA in nine starts, wasn’t much better in his first 2008 start. The 2001 first-round draft pick was roughed up for seven runs, six earned, and nine hits over four-plus innings. The right-hander has a 1-12 record and 8.84 ERA in 21 career major league games and hasn’t won since 2004.
Even while splitting, the Braves left 24 on base, 15 in the opener as Duke (2-2) shook off five walks and three errors behind him while giving up five hits.
Duke was constantly in trouble, with at least two runners reaching in all but one inning, but he got key outs when he needed them to strand 10 runners. He won successive starts for the first time since beating the Brewers and Mets, respectively, on Sept. 11 and 17, 2006.
Braves rookie Jair Jurrjens (4-3) got himself into trouble in the fifth by walking Jason Michaels and hitting light-hitting rookie Brian Bixler with a pitch in the upper back, helping the Pirates load the bases.
After Duke struck out, Sanchez — 10-for-28 (.357) with eight RBIs as a leadoff batter since moving up one spot in the order last week — cleared the bases with a double to right-center. Adam LaRoche added a two-run homer, his fourth, in the eighth against Manny Acosta.
Notes: The Pirates went into the doubleheader with a six-game errorless streak, only to commit six errors — all but one by infielders. ... Hudson lost his previous two road starts, pitching only three innings in each. ... Braves 1B Mark Teixeira left in the fourth inning of the opener with back spasms on a cloudy, chilly 48-degree day. He didn’t play in the second game. ... Pittsburgh won the season series 5-2.
Pirates 5,
Braves 0, Game One
PITTSBURGH — Maybe it’s no coincidence the Pittsburgh Pirates developed some consistency when Freddy Sanchez and Zach Duke did.
Sanchez’s three-run double in the fifth inning put Pittsburgh ahead, leading Duke and the streaking Pirates past the Atlanta Braves 5-0 Monday in the first game of a doubleheader.
Duke (2-2) shook off five walks and three errors behind him to limit Atlanta to five hits over six innings, and the Pirates won their sixth in a row — their longest winning streak since taking 10 consecutive games from June 25-July 5, 2004.
The Braves lost their seventh straight on the road. They have the majors’ best home record (14-4) and worst road mark (4-14).
Atlanta has lost three in a row in Pittsburgh after sweeping a six-game homestand against the Reds and Padres.
‘‘I have no clue while we struggle on the road,’’ Braves rookie starter Jair Jurrjens said. ‘‘It’s a crazy thing a team goes through during a season and I hope we snap out of it quick, because we need to win some games on the road. Something on the road just doesn’t click with us right now.’’
What is clicking for the Pirates is their starting pitching, which is 4-0 with a 2.29 ERA during the winning streak. Duke was constantly in trouble, with at least two runners reaching in all but one inning, but he got key outs when he needed them while stranding 10 runners.
‘‘The big key was most of the runners came when we had two outs already, so you can focus on getting that one out. It made it a little easier,’’ Duke said.
The Braves left 15 on overall while being shut out on eight hits by Duke, Damaso Marte and Sean Burnett. Duke has pitched well over three consecutive starts, allowing five runs in 20 1-3 innings.
‘‘Zach’s keeping the ball down, using his sinker and he’s getting a lot more ground balls,’’ manager John Russell said. ‘‘He’s going to give up some hits, but he attacks the zone down with his sinker, mixes in some off-speed pitches, and makes them hit it on the ground.’’
Duke hadn’t won since June 12, a span of 12 outings over two seasons, until beating the Giants 12-6 by allowing three runs over 7 1-3 innings on Tuesday. The left-hander hadn’t won successive starts since beating the Brewers and Mets, respectively, on Sept. 11 and 17, 2006, but has allowed three runs or fewer in six of eight starts this season.
Jurrjens (4-3) got himself into trouble in the fifth by walking Jason Michaels and hitting light-hitting rookie Brian Bixler with a pitch in the upper back, helping the Pirates load the bases.
After Duke struck out, Sanchez — 10-for-24 (.417) with eight RBIs as a leadoff batter since moving up one spot in the order last week — cleared the bases with a double to right-center.
‘‘I don’t think it makes any difference where he hits,’’ Duke said. ‘‘He’s steady Freddy, that’s what he does.’’
Jurrjens said, ‘‘The pitch, I thought, was a good pitch, a two-seam fastball outside, but he’s a good hitter and he hit it for a double. It cost us the game.’’
Adam LaRoche added a two-run homer, his fourth, following Ryan Doumit’s leadoff double in the eighth against Manny Acosta.
