Final
Braves turn to Hudson in opener with Marlins
Sep 17, 2012 - 2:41 PMVideo
Atlanta enters the series in possession of the top wild card spot in the league and holds a seven-game edge over defending World Series-champion St. Louis and an eight-game edge over Los Angeles, who are vying for the No. 2 spot.
The Braves trail the first-place Washington Nationals by 5 1/2 games in the NL's East Division race.
Miami is last in the East, 24 1/2 games behind Washington and 19 behind the Braves.
Hudson, a 37-year-old Georgia native, has gone 6-2 in his last 10 starts, though the most recent outing was a 5-0 loss at Milwaukee on Sept. 11.
He was a 17-game winner for the Braves in 2010 and won 16 times last season, then got to 14 this year with seven innings of scoreless six-hit ball in a 1-0 defeat of Colorado on Sept. 6.
He's pitched at least seven innings in four of the last 10 starts, in which the Braves are 7-3.
Hudson has permitted a .248 opposition batting average in 2012, exactly the same as his career number.
For the Marlins, lefty Wade LeBlanc makes his third career start against the Braves while still searching for his first win.
The 28-year-old last faced them on Aug. 1 in Atlanta and got a no-decision after allowing a run on five hits in 4 1/3 innings of a 4-2 Miami win.
He's 0-2 against the Braves in four appearances - two starts - while allowing five runs on 13 hits in 13 innings with eight strikeouts.
LeBlanc's last win came Aug. 17 in Colorado, when he allowed nine hits and five runs in five innings of a 6-5 triumph.
On Sunday in Atlanta, Mike Minor tossed six quality innings and the Braves knocked out Gio Gonzalez early to finish off a three-game sweep of the division-leading Nationals with a 5-1 victory.
The sweep was Atlanta's first of Washington since September 2009.
Minor (9-10) allowed just one run on five hits and two walks for the Braves, who had lost three straight entering the series.
Dan Uggla knocked in a pair, while Michael Bourn singled, walked twice and scored two runs on a rainy day at Turner Field.
"We're still 5 1/2 games back, but we all know anything can happen in this game. It's definitely a step in the right direction," Uggla said.
In Miami, Ryan Ludwick knocked in the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th inning, lifting the Cincinnati Reds to a 5-4 victory over the Marlins to avoid a three-game sweep.
Gregg Dobbs clubbed a two-run triple and Jose Reyes added an RBI double, but the Marlins fell for the fourth time in their last six games.
Atlanta won nine of the first 12 games between the teams this season, including three of four at Turner Field from July 30-Aug. 2. The Braves won last year's season series, 12 games to six.
- ATLANTA: 7
MIAMI: 5
Final
Sep 17 10:04 PM - Martin Prado singled to center scored Jason Heyward. Runner on first with one out and Dan Uggla due up.
Braves 7, Marlins 5 Top 8, 1 OutSep 17 9:34 PM - Carlos Lee singled to center scored Jose Reyes. Runner on first with one out and Justin Ruggiano due up.
Braves 6, Marlins 5 Bot 7, 1 OutSep 17 9:19 PM - Gorkys Hernandez tripled to center scored Bryan Petersen. Runner on third with two outs and Jose Reyes due up.
Braves 6, Marlins 4 Bot 4, 2 OutsSep 17 8:29 PM - Bryan Petersen tripled to right scored Donovan Solano and Rob Brantly. Runner on third with two outs and Gorkys Hernandez due up.
Braves 6, Marlins 3 Bot 4, 2 OutsSep 17 8:29 PM - Rob Brantly singled to left scored Justin Ruggiano. On the play, Donovan Solano advances to second. Runners on first and second with one out and Wade LeBlanc due up.
Braves 6, Marlins 1 Bot 4, 1 OutSep 17 8:29 PM - Tim Hudson grounded out pitcher to short to first scored David Ross. On the play, Jeff Baker advances to second. Runner on second with two outs and Michael Bourn due up.
Braves 6, Marlins 0 Top 4, 2 OutsSep 17 8:13 PM - Jeff Baker singled to right scored Dan Uggla. On the play, David Ross advances to third. Runners on first and third with one out and Tim Hudson due up.
Braves 5, Marlins 0 Top 4, 1 OutSep 17 8:09 PM - Dan Uggla two-out, three-run Home Run (19) to left scored Freddie Freeman and Martin Prado. David Ross due up.
Braves 4, Marlins 0 Top 1, 2 OutsSep 17 7:24 PM - ATLANTA: 0
MIAMI: 0
Top 1, 0 Outs
Sep 17 7:11 PM
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