Braves 2 - 0 Rays
Final
  for this game

Braves blank Rays

May 20, 2012 - 11:40 PM

Video

St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Tim Hudson tossed 7 2/3 shutout innings and David Ross added a solo home run as the Atlanta Braves blanked the Tampa Bay Rays, 2-0, in the finale of a three-game interleague series.

Hudson (3-1) fanned three and surrendered just four hits and two walks for Atlanta, which has won seven of its last 10.

"My sinker's been the key for me all year and just locating it down in the zone and I was able to mix it in and out today," Hudson said of his outing.

Chipper Jones missed his second consecutive game with a left calf contusion, suffered on Friday when B.J. Upton stung a hard one-hop infield single off his leg in the third inning. The Braves improved to 7-11 without him in the lineup.

David Price (6-3) struck out seven and was charged with two runs -- one earned -- on six hits and three walks in seven frames for the Rays, who have dropped three of four on the heels of a four-game winning streak.

"I thought David (Price) obviously did a good job of keeping this 2-0, they just happened to get us today," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

The Braves tallied a run in each of the third and sixth innings.

Ross smacked an opposite-field solo homer that cleared the wall in right field in the third.

In the sixth, Freddie Freeman singled to center, moved to second on a passed ball and scored two batters later when Jason Heyward laced a base hit to center.

Ben Zobrist slapped a leadoff single to right field in the fourth inning for the Rays' first hit of the game and Tampa Bay didn't have a baserunner reach second until the sixth.

The Rays loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth, but Carlos Pena lifted a high fly ball to straightaway center that Michael Bourn hauled in right before the warning track.

Tampa Bay again had the bags full with two away in the eighth. With Johnny Venters on the mound for Atlanta, Luke Scott scorched a grounder to the right side, but the ball hit Pena while he was on his way to second and Atlanta escaped the frame unscathed.

Craig Kimbrel fanned two in a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 13th save of the year.

Game Notes

Atlanta is 19-5 with Jones in the lineup this year...Hudson moved to 8-1 in his career against Tampa Bay...Atlanta owns a 17-7 mark in the all-time series against Tampa Bay.






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