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Uggla helps Marlins outslug Braves

Apr 24, 2007 - 3:51 AM MIAMI (Ticker) -- The Atlanta Braves never have much success when visiting the Florida Marlins and Dan Uggla made sure nothing changed.

Uggla continued his torrid stretch by hitting a two-run homer and driving in three runs as the Marlins posted an 8-7 victory over the Braves in the first of a three-game series.

Dontrelle Willis (4-1) wasn't especially sharp but still managed to beat Atlanta for the fourth consecutive time. The lefthander, whose wife Natalee is expecting a baby girl any time, allowed five runs - all earned - and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out three and walking three. He also got two hits, including a triple.

The Marlins captured their third straight game and continued their home domination of the Braves, winning for the 11th time in 15 games here.

"We went out there and got a tough victory," Willis said. "This team (Atlanta) is playing great baseball right now so this is a big victory for us."

Uggla doubled in a run in the first - missing a home run by inches - and belted a two-run homer in a six-run fifth inning, his third blast in two days, to give the Marlins an 8-2 lead.

"I'm able to pick up the spin on the ball and recognize pitches," Uggla said. "Now, I can get a good swing on it."

In his last three games, Uggla is 7-for-13 with the three home runs, nine RBI and seven runs scored.

"Baseball is a streaky sport and you have to keep going with it as long as you can," he said.

Miguel Olivo put Florida ahead to stay with a three-run shot in the sixth, ending the night for Atlanta starter Kyle Davies (0-1).

"I couldn't locate my fastball and just couldn't get comfortable out there," Davies said. "I felt like I was trying to throw it through a brick wall instead of easy and fluid. If you told me to throw three straight strikes tonight, I couldn't."

The Braves didn't go quietly, adding a run in the sixth on a homer by Jeff Francoeur and two more in the seventh while knocking Willis from the game.

After loading the bases, Willis allowed a sacrifice fly to Andrew Jones and was replaced by Randy Messenger, who gave up an RBI single to Francoeur that sliced the deficit to 8-5.

Taylor Tankersley pitched a perfect eighth inning and Henry Owens got the first two outs in the ninth before running into trouble, allowing a solo homer to Chipper Jones and back-to-back doubles to Andruw Jones and Francoeur to make it 8-7.

"It's good to know we kept fighting back," Francoeur said. "We weren't able to do it tonight. If we had one more inning I think we would have won the game."

Lefthander Renyel Pinto replaced Owens and finally ended it by striking out pinch hitter Brian McCann for his first save.

Francoeur went 4-for-5 and drove in four runs for Atlanta.

"He (Willis) throws inside and out and mixes it up," Francoeur said. "He pitched well enough to win. We got to him late but we didn't have enough innings left."

Florida's Aaron Boone drove in a run and had two hits to run his hitting streak to five games, during which he is batting .391 (9-for-23).

After the game, Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez gave Willis the lineup card as a souvenir.

"I told him, 'Keep it so that six years down the road you can tell your daughter, 'I got two hits and a win and then I watched you get born,' " Gonzalez said. "Easy day."