Hanson, Homers Power Braves Past Giants

(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Chipper Jones, Garret Anderson, and Ryan Church all homered to back a stellar 11-strikeout performance by rookie Tommy Hanson as the Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants 11-3 on Monday night.

The strikeout numbers hadn't really been there for Hanson since his call-up in early June. However, against the Giants, he used all of his pitches to record 11 K's in seven strong innings.

Hanson's fastball was clocked regularly from 94-96 mph and he twice got Edgar Renteria looking as he painted over the black on the outside corner. Mixing in a 76 mph curve and an 83 mph slider that dove at the toes of left-handed hitters' back feet, Hanson was able to keep the Giants at bay until the Braves' bats woke up in the seventh.

Hanson gave up three runs on five hits and walked three to go with his 11 strikeouts. He almost tiptoed his way out of a bases loaded, no out jam in the second, but Randy Winn dropped a two-out double into right center.

The other run scored in the seventh as Nate McLouth uncharacteristically misjudged a fly ball to center off the bat of Juan Uribe that turned into a triple. An Aaron Rowand sacrifice fly scored Uribe two hitters later, but Hanson prevented any further damage and left in the middle of the seventh with the game tied 3-3.

The Braves' early offense was provided by the long ball. Garret Anderson jumped on a high fastball for a solo home run in the third to cut the deficit to 2-1.

In the fourth, Nate McLouth singled with one out, stole second, and went to third on a groundout by Martin Prado. Chipper Jones hit another right-handed home run, this time to center, just out of the reach of Aaron Rowand to give the Braves a 3-2 lead.

With the game tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh, Yunel Escobar and Garret Anderson singled to start the inning. Matt Diaz fouled off two bunt attempts, before deftly hitting a line drive on a tough low and outside slider to right-center. When Diaz slid headfirst into third with a triple, the Braves had a 5-3 lead.

Casey Kotchman chased Giants' reliever Sergio Romo with an RBI single to right.

After a pitching change, Ryan Church pinch-hit for Hanson and golfed a line drive home run a few feet inside the foul pole to extend the Braves' lead to 8-3.

Nate McLouth followed Church's home run and walked, and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Two outs later, he scored on an RBI single to center by Brian McCann for a 9-3 Braves lead.

In the eighth, Matt Diaz led off with a single, and Casey Kotchman reached on an error. Church, who stayed in the game after pinch-hitting in the seventh, stroked an RBI single to right center, scoring Diaz as Kotchman made it to third.

Nate McLouth capped the Braves scoring with a sacrifice fly, as Kotchman crossed the plate for an 11-3 lead. 

Mike Gonzalez and Kris Medlen each pitched a scoreless inning of relief to complete the victory. 

With the win, Tommy Hanson ran his record to 5-0, and tied for the high strikeout performance by a rookie in 2009 with 11. Toronto's Scott Richmond and Tampa Bay's David Price also notched 11 strikeouts in a game earlier this year.

With a little better performance from the bullpen on the last road trip, Hanson could have been 6-0, or 7-0 after tonight's start.

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