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McCann, Hudson lead Braves' rout of Nats

Apr 3, 2011 - 11:26 PM Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Brian McCann went 3-for-5 with four runs batted in and Tim Hudson tossed seven spectacular innings, as the Atlanta Braves dominated the Washington Nationals, 11-2, in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Martin Prado went 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored for the Braves, who had 12 hits. Nate McLouth scored three times and drove in a run.

Hudson (1-0), the National League's Comeback Player of the Year in 2010, gave up one run on three hits to go with five strikeouts. He retired the final 17 batters he faced and improved to 11-2 lifetime against Washington over 19 starts.

After missing most of the 2009 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, Hudson was terrific a year ago, when he was 17-9 with a 2.83 ERA, 139 strikeouts and held opposing batters to just a .229 average.

"They play pretty good baseball against us when we're here," Hudson said. "We feel good about taking two out of three."

Jerry Hairston Jr. and Adam LaRoche each drove in a run for the Nationals, who were limited to four hits.

Jordan Zimmermann (0-1) allowed three runs -- two earned -- on four hits over six innings. The right-hander also walked three batters. Zimmermann missed most of last year due to elbow surgery, but returned down the stretch and went 1-2 with a 4.94 ERA in seven starts.

Each team scored a run in the first inning. McCann got the Braves on the board with an RBI single to center. LaRoche responded in the home half with an RBI single of his own to make it 1-1.

Atlanta scored twice in the fifth. Alex Gonzalez started the frame with a triple to right-center field and scored on Freddie Freeman's groundout. After Hudson walked, Prado doubled to right-center. Danny Espinosa mishandled the relay throw -- Washington's first error of the season -- which allowed Hudson to score for a 3-1 lead.

The Braves tacked on two more runs in the seventh to make it a 5-1 game. With the bases loaded and two outs, McCann beat the shift. McCann's single found the gap on the left side of the infield. A pair of runs crossed the plate on the play.

Atlanta turned the game into a rout in the eighth. Brian Broderick, making his MLB debut, quickly loaded the bases with nobody out. Broderick was called for a balk, which forced in a run. A ground out moved the runners up to second and third, and Prado knocked in a run with a sac fly. McLouth's RBI double brought an end to Broderick's poor showing.

Chad Gaudin took over on the mound, but his luck was the same. Chipper Jones drove in a run with a double and McCann and Jason Heyward added RBI singles to make it an 11-1 contest.

Hudson retired 17 straight batters before being replaced on the mound by Jonny Venters, who gave up a run in the eighth.

Scott Linebrink pitched a scoreless ninth to secure the victory.

"Today was unexplainable. We just did not play well," Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said.

Game Notes

The Braves placed pitcher Jair Jurrjens on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday. Atlanta recalled pitcher Mike Minor from Triple-A Gwinnett to fill the roster spot. Minor is scheduled to start Wednesday's game in Milwaukee...The Nationals had won seven of their last eight home series over the Braves dating back to April 29, 2008.