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Jurrjens, Braves blank Cubs

Aug 23, 2011 - 5:15 AM Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Jair Jurrjens pitched into the seventh inning and the Braves got home runs from Freddie Freeman and Dan Uggla in a 3-0 win over the Chicago Cubs.

Jurrjens (13-5), who snapped a five-game winless stretch and won for the first time since July 6, gave up eight hits and walked five. The right-hander escaped several jams, including twice with the bases full and lasted 6 1/3 frames.

The Cubs, who took two of three from St. Louis at Wrigley Field over the weekend, couldn't get the clutch hit in the opener of this four-game series and left 15 men on base.

Chicago had a runner in scoring position in all but two innings and put two men on against Jonny Venters with nobody out in the ninth. Venters, who walked the first two batters, fanned Carlos Pena and Marlon Byrd. Alfonso Soriano then grounded a ball up the middle, but shortstop Alex Gonzalez made a sliding stop and managed to tag second base for the final out.

Venters, who stretched his scoreless streak to 24 games, recorded his fifth save.

Jose Constanza had a pair of hits and scored the other run for the National League wild card leaders, who have won five in a row and seven of their last eight games. Constanza, though, sprained his right ankle while running to first on an infield hit in the sixth inning.

Aramis Ramirez had three hits for the Cubs, who held All-Star shortstop Starlin Castro out of the lineup, one day after he was caught not paying attention in the field to a pitch thrown in the sixth inning of a game against St. Louis.

Ryan Dempster (10-9) had eight strikeouts over six innings, but had a three- decision winning streak broken. He fell to 2-12 lifetime against the Braves.

The Cubs loaded the bases in the opening frame, but Byrd grounded into a tailor-made double play.

Freeman homered to center with one out in the second and the Braves added to their lead in the third when Constanza scored on Martin Prado's fielder's choice grounder.

Chicago filled the bases again in the fifth, but Soriano flied out to right field for the last out.

"I don't see a big difference in guys' at-bats when there's nobody on or when there's people on base or in scoring position," Cubs manager Mike Quade said. "It's a situation we have to keep working on to try and get better."

Uggla led off the sixth by crushing a pitch over the left field wall. It was the fifth homer to land onto Waveland Ave. this season, all by visiting teams. Uggla also extended his own major league record for 30-homer seasons by a second baseman. He's done it five times now.

"As a second baseman, that's a tremendous feat to do that," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "That's what he came here to do. He's done it, he's held his end of the bargain, which is terrific."

Constanza left later in the sixth. Alex Gonzalez walked with one out before Constanza hit a chopper toward the right side of the infield. First baseman Pena tried flipping the ball to Dempster, but never got a handle on it. Dempster still raced to first when Constanza's right foot caught the edge of the base awkwardly. Constanza, who was helped into the dugout, was replaced by Jason Heyward on the bases and in right field.

Game Notes

Ramirez extended his hitting streak to 11 games...Uggla is the first Atlanta 30-homer hitter since Andruw Jones totaled 41 in 2006...The Cubs went 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position...Chicago recently won two of three meetings in Atlanta from August 12-14.