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Braves eye fifth straight win in the desert

May 18, 2011 - 2:22 PM (Sports Network) - The Atlanta Braves will take their momentum to the road tonight in the opener of a two-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

Atlanta will also visit the Angels and Pirates on its seven-game trek and have won four straight and 12 of the last 16 games. It just swept the Houston Astros in a two-game series, as catcher Brain McCann came through in a big way yesterday afternoon in a 3-1 win in 11 innings. McCann tied the game at 1-1 with a pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the ninth and won it on a two-run shot in the home 11th.

"I was very pleased today. It doesn't get much better," McCann said. To see (starter) Derek Lowe pitch the way he did and come in and tie it up in the ninth then win it in extras was something special."

Lowe did not figure into the decision with seven innings of one-run ball and four strikeouts. Five relievers then kept the Astros off the scoreboard, with Cory Gearrin earning the win with a scoreless top of the 11th frame.

Martin Prado, the National League Player of the Week for May 9-15, recorded two hits for the Braves, who pulled within 1 1/2 games of Philadelphia for the top sot in the National League East Division. Jason Heyward was back in the starting lineup after he missed the previous six starts because of an inflamed right shoulder. Chipper Jones also returned from a two-game absence because of a small right knee tear.

Julio Teheran made his major league debut in a 3-0 loss at Philadelphia on May 7 and will get a chance to redeem himself when he toes the rubber tonight in the desert. Teheran allowed all three runs in 4 2/3 innings against the rival Phillies with one strikeout and two walks.

"I'd like to see what he can do the second time around, now that he got a taste of the big leagues," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said on the club's website "I've got no doubt in my mind this kid is going to be a big part of our future."

After losing five straight games, the Diamondbacks have ripped off three wins in their past four contests and are coming off Tuesday's 6-1 victory versus San Diego in the finale of a two-game set.

Miguel Montero and Gerardo Parra each had two hits and two RBI, while Justin Upton and Stephen Drew both knocked in runs for Arizona, which is 1-1 on a seven-game homestand versus the Padres, Braves and Twins. Daniel Hudson got the win for the D'Backs and held San Diego to a run on eight hits in seven innings with six K's and a pair of walks.

"He pitched a good game," said Arizona manager Kirk Gibson. "Got into some jams, but got himself out of it. They were jumping his fastball early, and he started to throw some of the secondary stuff to really get them off that."

The Diamondbacks will also host Minnesota for three games and will hand the ball to winless starter Joe Saunders. Saunders is 0-5 with a 5.48 earned run average in eight starts and hasn't won since Sept. 21 against Colorado. He took the loss in Friday's 4-3 defeat at Los Angeles and allowed four runs -- three earned -- and six hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Saunders has yielded at least three earned runs in six of eight outings this season and defeated the Braves the only time he faced them in a 2-0 triumph back on June 15, 2008 as a member of the LA Angels. The lefty hurled 7 1/3 shutout innings that day with three strikeouts and no walks.

Atlanta and Arizona are meeting for the first time since the Braves took four of seven matchups a season ago.