Giants 2 - 3 Braves
Final
  for this game

Braves down Giants to avoid sweep

Jul 19, 2012 - 8:11 PM

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Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - David Ross and Freddie Freeman hit solo homers to back a solid outing from Tim Hudson, as the Atlanta Braves held off the San Francisco Giants, 3-2, to avoid a three-game sweep.

Hudson (8-4) gave up two runs on eight hits over 7 1/3 innings for the Braves, who went 4-2 on a six-game homestand. The veteran right-hander, who struck out three and walked two, improved to 7-4 in 16 career starts against the Giants.

"I didn't feel particularly great out there, but good enough," Hudson said. "I located when I needed to, a couple of times I battled my mechanics a little bit but just kept them off balance with some cutters, some, changeups, curveballs, and guys behind me made some great plays when they needed to."

Emmanuel Burriss and Buster Posey had an RBI apiece for San Francisco, which was trying to sweep Atlanta on the road for the first time since June 27-29, 1988.

Madison Bumgarner (11-6) allowed three runs -- two earned -- on three hits over seven innings to take the hard-luck loss for the Giants, who had a five- game winning streak snapped. Bumgarner had eight strikeouts.

"I felt like I threw the ball well," Bumgarner said. "I gave up three hits and unfortunately three runs, a couple of homers kind of got me there, but I felt like I threw the ball pretty good."

Each team scored a run in the second inning. Pablo Sandoval got the Giants going with a leadoff single. With one out, Brandon Belt and Burriss hit consecutive singles to plate Sandoval. Belt was thrown out at third on Burriss' single. Bumgarner then flied out to keep it 1-0.

But Freeman's blast to right in the bottom half tied the game.

The Braves took the lead for good in the third. Paul Janish reached first on Sandoval's fielding error, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and raced home on Michael Bourn's triple to left-center field.

Ross' two-out homer in the fourth made it a 3-1 contest.

Hudson retired eight straight batters before giving up a one-out single to Burriss in the fifth. After Burriss stole second, Hudson got Bumgarner and Gregor Blanco to ground out.

The Giants, who stranded men on first and second in the sixth and seventh, made things interesting in the eighth. Melky Cabrera led off with a triple to right-center field and scored on Posey's sacrifice fly. Sandoval greeted Eric O'Flaherty with a double down the right-field line. O'Flaherty settled down and retired the next two batters to keep it a 3-2 game.

Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth for his 28th save of the season.

Game Notes

The Giants have never swept the Braves at Turner Field...San Francisco, which had nine hits, went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight...Atlanta had just three hits.






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