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Hanson, McCann help Braves beat Yankees 4-0

Jun 24, 2009 - 6:54 AM By GEORGE HENRY Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA(AP) -- As Atlanta rookie Tommy Hanson kept pitching out of jams, his confidence kept growing against the New York Yankees.

"I was pumped up to throw against those guys and stuff like that, but really with the walks, it's something I've never experienced before," Hanson said. "I know what I'm doing wrong, and I've just got to correct it and slow myself down."

Hanson won his third straight start, Brian McCann had two RBIs including a solo homer and Atlanta threw consecutive shutouts for the first time in four years with a 4-0 victory Tuesday night.

New York managed just four hits and left 12 runners on base as Chien-Ming Wang (0-6) lost his sixth straight start.

In the Yankees' first visit to Turner Field since 2000, Atlanta's pitching staff combined for its first consecutive shutouts since June 21-22, 2005, when it beat Florida by a combined 13-0 score.

New York has lost three straight and four of six.

"It's hard to win when you get only four hits," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We're just not swinging the bats."

Hanson (3-0) allowed four hits and five walks with four strikeouts in 5 1-3 innings. The right-hander, who has pitched 13 2-3 consecutive scoreless innings, left the bases loaded in the second and fourth and stranded two runners in scoring position in the third.

"He can do that because he's a strikeout guy," said McCann, the Braves' catcher. "If he walks a couple of guys here and there, he's got the stuff to get out of it. He never lost his composure. He never does. I haven't seen it in the four or five starts he's had. Hasn't lost his composure once. He's a special, special player."

Hanson, the former top prospect in Atlanta's organization, left to a standing ovation with one out in the sixth as Braves manager Bobby Cox brought in Peter Moylan to face Derek Jeter with runners on first and second.

Jeter, the career interleague leader in hits, at-bats and runs scored, grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

"We've been scuffling, but we're not concerned," Jeter said. "It happens every year."

Moylan combined with Mike Gonzalez to retire six straight batters in the seventh and eighth innings. Rafael Soriano faced four in the ninth to help the Braves win their second straight and fourth in the last sixth.

"You never think three (runs) is enough," McCann said. "That's not the mentality we have, especially against them. We want to score as many as we can. We felt good with the back end of our bullpen."

Wang struggled after striking out the first two batters in the third.

Yunel Escobar singled, stole second with Chipper Jones at the plate and advanced to third on catcher Jorge Posada's throwing error. After Jones walked, McCann's RBI double scored Escobar as Jones advanced to third. Garret Anderson followed with a two-run double to make it 3-0.

McCann hit his seventh homer in the eighth off David Robertson.

Leaving for pinch-hitter Hideki Matsui in the sixth, Wang gave up six hits, three runs and one walk with four strikeouts in five innings. The right-hander's ERA dropped to 11.20.

"It was one of the better starts he's had," Girardi said. "He just had one inning that cost him the game."

New York dropped to 23-66 over the last two years, including 2-17 this season, when scoring three runs or less.

Posada struck out four times in a game for the fifth time in his career and first since July 19, 2002, against Boston.

"It was a tough day," Posada said. "It happens. It's baseball. You win some, you lose some. It's simple."

He wasn't the only Yankee struggling at the plate. Mark Teixeira went 0 for 3, and Alex Rodriguez, who has 154 RBIs since interleague play began in 1997, saw his season average drop to .207 after going 0 for 4.

"History tells you that you're doing to break out of it," Girardi said, "and we need to start doing that tomorrow."

NOTES: Jeter passed Babe Ruth into fourth place on the Yankees' doubles list with 425. ... According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the Braves pitched a shutout and allowed 10 hits but none for extra bases was in 1973 when Carl Morton had a 10-hit complete game. ... Johnny Damon (right calf) was held out of the New York lineup, but walked as a pinch-hitter. ... New York ace CC Sabathia (left biceps) hopes a light bullpen session Wednesday will indicate if he can make his next scheduled start Friday against the Mets.