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Braves close out set against Phillies

Sep 23, 2012 - 2:13 PM (Sports Network) - Veteran righty Tim Hudson can win his 10th career game against the Philadelphia Phillies today when the Atlanta Braves visit them at Citizens Bank Park in the finale of a three-game weekend series.

Hudson, a 37-year-old Georgia native, has faced the Phillies 26 times in his 404 major-league appearances and beaten them for nine of his 196 career victories.

He's met Philadelphia three times in his last 10 starts since late July and received across-the-board results - winning once, losing once and getting a no-decision while allowing 22 hits and 13 runs in 15 innings.

He's 2-1 in three starts since the last game with the Phillies and scored a 7-5 win most recently in Miami on Sept. 17.

Hudson is 7-2 in 12 road starts in 2012.

On Saturday, Mike Minor worked six effective innings as the Braves topped the Phillies, 8-2.

Minor (10-10) allowed two runs on just two hits with six strikeouts and a walk to notch his fourth consecutive positive decision.

"Minor did a terrific job of navigating through that lineup like he did," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

Jason Heyward ripped a three-run double and added an RBI base hit, while Freddie Freeman smashed a three-run home run for the Braves, who have won six of their last eight games.

Atlanta's magic number to clinch a playoff berth is three.

Roy Halladay (10-8) lasted just 1 2/3 innings - his shortest outing since the 2006 season - and allowed seven runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

Ryan Howard hit his 300th career home run, a solo shot in the fourth, and Darin Ruf collected his first major league RBI with a sacrifice fly for the Phils, who fell to four games behind the St. Louis Cardinals, who topped the Cubs earlier on Saturday, for the second NL wild card spot.

The Braves won 10 of the first 15 games between the teams in 2012, but the Phillies won two of three when they last played from Aug. 31-Sept. 2 in Atlanta. Philadelphia won 12 of 18 games in 2011.

The Phillies counter Hudson with lefty Cliff Lee, who's won four straight decisions since starting the season 2-7.

The 34-year-old threw an eight-inning gem against the New York Mets in his last outing on Sept. 17, allowing a run in eight innings of a 3-1 victory.

He's allowed two runs or fewer in five straight starts while lowering his 2012 earned run average from 3.78 to 3.27.

Lee blanked the Braves over seven innings of a Sept. 1 game in Atlanta and emerged with a 5-1 win that improved his career mark against them to 4-3 in nine starts.