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Smoltz sharp as Braves pound Red Sox

May 20, 2007 - 4:22 AM BOSTON (Ticker) -- John Smoltz showed no ill-effects from last week's pinky injury as he mowed down the Boston Red Sox and moved one step closer to his 200th career win.

Smoltz tossed seven scoreless innings and the Atlanta Braves had no problem solving the Red Sox's pitching en route to a 14-0 victory in the second game of a day-night doubleheader Saturday.

Kelly Johnson homered and drove in five runs and Chipper Jones and Matt Diaz each hit solo homers for the Braves, who overcame a 13-3 defeat in the opener to hand Boston just its third loss in the last 13 games.

"That was probably the weirdest doubleheader that I've been a part of," said Johnson, who was just a single shy of the cycle. "It's time to get the offense rolling again and hopefully tonight was a real good start."

"Kelly had everything but the single," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "He lined out in his last at-bat. He played a great game."

For Atlanta, it was just their second win in their last six contests.

"It was maybe one of the biggest games of the year considering the slide we were on and that we were facing an awfully good baseball team," Smoltz said.

Smoltz (6-2) struck out seven and walked one while yielding three hits to earn the 199th win of his career. His strikeout of Eric Hinske in the seventh was the 2,832nd of his career, passing Mickey Lolich for 17th on the all-time list.

The veteran righthander had to leave Monday's start against Washington in the seventh inning when he snagged his pinky finger on the jersey of Austin Kearns.

There was some question whether Smoltz would make the start, but the righthander quieted the concerns with his dominating performance.

"I struggled a little bit early with just the feel in my hand with some pitches," Smoltz said. "Then after that, I got into a nice groove."

The game was played in conditions that alternated between a heavy mist and heavy rain.

"Conditions were brutal and we needed a win bad," Smoltz said. "Of course they're hot, so I felt I had to strike some people out in the first inning and then after that I felt like I could pitch and not have to worry about throwing too many pitches."

Boston starter Devern Hansack (0-1) was the one with the injured finger on Saturday. The rookie righthander had to leave the game following the fourth inning when Edgar Renteria's groundout glanced off his finger ending the fourth, causing a contusion.

"Right when it happened, we sent him upstairs to get an (X-ray), just to make sure," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "Once he got hit, we made the decision that he wasn't going to go back out anyway. We brought him right back up and got him looked at. He's OK."

Hansack, who tossed a rain-shortened no-hitter on the final day of last season, yielded four runs - three earned - and six hits in four frames to take the loss.

"He elevated some fastballs early, let some big, strong hitters extend their arms and paid the price for it," Francona said.

Hansack was optioned back to Class AAA Pawtucket immediately after the game to make room for Sunday's starter, lefthander Kason Gabbard, who will make the start in Sunday's series finale.

The Braves piled on the Red Sox's normally stout relief corps, scoring four runs off Joel Pineiro and three each off Javier Lopez and Brendan Donnelly. Johnson, Jones and Brian McCann pounded out three hits a piece and Jeff Francouer and Diaz each scored a pair of runs.

Atlanta pounded out a season-high 18 hits in the nightcap while the Red Sox managed just three. It was the mirror opposite of the afternoon game, when Boston notched a season-high 18 hits and pounded the Braves relievers.

"I think every team is the same," Cox said. "You get that kind of starting pitching, you're gonna win. All teams are the same in that respect. (Smoltz) just closed the door completely against a really, really good-hitting team. He located well all night, changed speeds against All-Star (batters). We had a lot of hitting."

The lone bright spot for the Red Sox was Mike Lowell, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a leadoff single in the fifth.