Final
Phillies-Braves Preview
Oct 2, 2010 - 5:52 AMVideo
Philadelphia (95-64) at Atlanta (90-69), 4:10 p.m. EDT
The Atlanta Braves will have a pregame ceremony honoring retiring manager Bobby Cox. Clinching the NL wild card might be his ideal gift.
The Braves will again try to secure their first playoff appearance since 2005 when they face the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday in the middle game of this season-ending series.
Atlanta (90-70) will honor Cox prior to Saturday's game. The ceremony is expected to feature some of his former players while his uniform number 6 is cut in the center-field grass at Turner Field.
Now, though, the 69-year-old manager is more concerned with earning one last trip to the postseason.
"We need to win (Saturday)," said Cox, who led the Braves to 14 consecutive division titles and five World Series appearances, winning the championship in 1995.
Atlanta leads San Diego by one game in the wild-card race with two to play. A Braves win coupled with a Padres loss to San Francisco would clinch the playoff berth for Atlanta.
The Braves faced the same situation Friday, but lost 11-5 to NL East champion Philadelphia (96-64).
"It's do or die, really," Atlanta left fielder Eric Hinske said.
Tommy Hanson (10-11, 3.41 ERA) takes the mound for the most important start of his two-year career. The 24-year-old right-hander has limited opponents to one runs and seven hits in 13 2-3 innings over his last two starts, but didn't get a decision in either as he received one total run of support.
"We've blown like six of his games and we've scored him barely any runs," Cox told the Braves' official website. "He's a team guy. He understands."
Hanson is 1-0 with a 1.56 ERA in three starts against Philadelphia this season, including a 1-0 Atlanta loss Sept. 22 in which he saw six scoreless innings go to waste.
Division champions for the fourth straight year, the Phillies are looking to spoil Atlanta's playoff hopes.
"We're division rivals," said Friday's winning pitcher Kyle Kendrick. "We want to beat these guys and make it tough on them."
Jimmy Rollins hit a grand slam Friday in his third game since returning from a right hamstring injury.
"I felt pretty good," the shortstop said. "In a couple of days, the real fun starts. We want to go into the postseason with confidence."
Philadelphia continues to get healthier, with Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino expected back in the lineup Saturday.
Polanco, hitting a team-high .298, had a cortisone shot in his left elbow Wednesday after sitting out three games. Victorino - mired in a 3-for-28 slump - missed Friday's game to be with his wife for the birth of their son.
Rookie Vance Worley (1-1, 2.25) gets a spot start for Philadelphia in place of Roy Halladay, who is being rested ahead of Game 1 of the NL division series Wednesday.
Worley has made only one start, allowing two runs in five innings of a 7-1 loss to Florida on Sept. 6. The 23-year-old right-hander has yielded one hit in two scoreless innings of relief since. He has never faced Atlanta.
- Braves 0, Phillies 7 - FINAL
PHILADELPHIA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Rollins ss 3 0 1 0 1 0 2 .243
B Bocock pr-ss 2 1 0 0 0 1 5 .000
P Polanco 3b 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 .299
W Valdez pr-3b 2 1 1 1 0 1 0 .256
C Utley 2b 5 2 2 1 1 1 3 .277
R Howard 1b 3 0 0 0 2 3 4 .277
R Mads
Oct 2 7:46 PM - NL
AT ATLANTA - SCORING UPDATE
BASES LOADED WALK TO JOHN MAYBERRY SCORED ROSS GLOAD
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, J MAYBERRY ON FIRST, C UTLEY ON SECOND, W
VALDEZ ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 7
ATLANTA 0 TOP,9TH
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: R IBANEZ (.277, 2-FOR-5, 2 RBI)
Phillies 7, Braves 0 Top 9, 0 OutsOct 2 7:30 PM - NL
AT ATLANTA - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY WILSON VALDEZ SCORED BRIAN SCHNEIDER
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, W VALDEZ ON SECOND, R GLOAD ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 6
ATLANTA 0 TOP,9TH
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: C UTLEY (.277, 2-FOR-5, RBI)
Phillies 6, Braves 0 Top 9, 0 OutsOct 2 7:27 PM - NL
AT ATLANTA - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY RAUL IBANEZ SCORED CHASE UTLEY
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, R IBANEZ ON FIRST, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 5
ATLANTA 0 TOP,8TH
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: S VICTORINO (.261, 3-FOR-4, RBI)
Phillies 5, Braves 0 Top 8, 0 OutsOct 2 7:00 PM - NL
AT ATLANTA - SCORING UPDATE
WILD PITCH BY CRAIG KIMBREL ALLOWED RAUL IBANEZ TO SCORE.
SITUATION: 4 RUNS IN, B SCHNEIDER ON SECOND, S VICTORINO ON THIRD, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 4
ATLANTA 0 TOP,7TH
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: G DOBBS (.200, 5 HR, 15 RBI)
Phillies 4, Braves 0 Top 7, 0 OutsOct 2 6:37 PM - NL
AT ATLANTA - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY SHANE VICTORINO SCORED CHASE UTLEY
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, S VICTORINO ON FIRST, R IBANEZ ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 3
ATLANTA 0 TOP,7TH
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: B FRANCISCO (.267, 0-FOR-1)
Phillies 3, Braves 0 Top 7, 0 OutsOct 2 6:29 PM - NL
AT ATLANTA - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY RAUL IBANEZ SCORED WILSON VALDEZ
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, R IBANEZ ON FIRST, C UTLEY ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 2
ATLANTA 0 TOP,7TH
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: S VICTORINO (.260, 2-FOR-3)
Phillies 2, Braves 0 Top 7, 0 OutsOct 2 6:27 PM - NL
AT ATLANTA - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY CHASE UTLEY SCORED BRIAN BOCOCK
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, C UTLEY ON FIRST, W VALDEZ ON THIRD, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 1
ATLANTA 0 TOP,7TH
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: R HOWARD (.278, 0-FOR-1, 2 BB)
Phillies 1, Braves 0 Top 7, 0 OutsOct 2 6:23 PM
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