• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Braves outslug Yankees in home run derby

Jun 21, 2012 - 12:06 AM Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - Jason Heyward hit a pair of homers and knocked in three runs as the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Yankees, 10-5, in a game that featured nine home runs.

Freddie Freeman, Martin Prado and David Ross also homered for the Braves, who won the final two contests of this three-game set.

Tommy Hanson (8-4) got the win despite giving up four runs on five hits over five-plus innings. He allowed four home runs.

"There were some balls hit pretty good today, but we survived," said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez. "Tommy did his five innings and he wiggled out of some situations."

Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, Eric Chavez and Derek Jeter hit solo homers for the Yankees, who have lost two in a row after winning their previous 10. Curtis Granderson added an RBI.

Phil Hughes (7-6) allowed six runs on six hits over 4 1/3 frames. He gave up a career-high four homers and now leads the American League in home runs allowed with 19.

Coming into Wednesday's game, Yankees starters had tossed at least six innings in each of their last 19 games.

Michael Bourn got Atlanta's offense going with a bloop single to left to start the game. Bourn stole second and raced home on Dan Uggla's two-out single to left. Freeman followed with a two-run homer to right-center field.

Jeter responded with a leadoff homer in the bottom half of the frame.

But Prado, Heyward and Ross hit solo homers off Hughes in the third, fourth and fifth, respectively, to give the Braves a 6-1 lead.

New York got one run back in the fifth, but almost had more. After Chavez led off with a homer to center, Russell Martin walked. Jayson Nix then hit a deep fly ball to left-center field. Bourn made a great leaping catch near the wall to prevent further damage. Hanson struck out Jeter and Granderson to keep it a 6-2 contest.

The Yankees got back-to-back homers from Rodriguez and Cano in the sixth to make it 6-4.

The home team continued to make things interesting in the seventh. Chad Durbin walked Martin and Jeter before giving up an RBI single to Granderson. Rodriguez grounded into a double play to keep it a 6-5 game.

"I don't think that our guys have really tried to do too much most of the time, it's just not happening," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi about his club's struggles with runners in scoring position. "I believe it's something that's going to change but it is something that has to get better."

Atlanta was able to create some distance in the eighth. Prado led off with a double to left-center field. Boone Logan came in from the bullpen and got Brian McCann to ground out. Uggla was intentionally walked before Freeman's RBI groundout plated Prado. Heyward followed with a two-run homer to right to give the Braves a 9-5 lead.

Prado's RBI single in the ninth accounted for the final margin.

Game Notes

New York holds a 16-12 advantage in the all-time series with the Braves...It was Heyward's third career multi-homer game...Hughes had a three-game winning streak snapped...The Yankees fell to 18-1 this season when Rodriguez drives in at least one run. Rodriguez's homer gave him 1,925 runs batted in, breaking a tie with Jimmie Foxx for sole possession of sixth on the all-time list...Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira was held out of the starting lineup due to a bruised left heel...The nine combined homers were the most in a Yankees game at the current Yankee Stadium and tied a franchise record for any home game (fifth time).