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Fielder, Cameron help Brewers jolt Braves

Aug 2, 2008 - 5:22 AM By Phil Foley PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

ATLANTA (Ticker) -- All it took for the Milwaukee Brewers to get the bad taste of their four game sweep by the Chicago Cubs out of their mouths was a visit to Turner Field to face the woeful Atlanta Braves.

Prince Fielder and Mike Cameron homered and Jeff Suppan tossed seven shutout innings to lead the Brewers to a 9-0 blanking of the Braves in the opener of a three-game set on Friday night.

Rickie Weeks, Ryan Braun and Corey Hart each drove in a run for the Brewers, who snapped a five game losing streak.

"It's always good to win," Fielder said. "Anytime that you win (it's good), even if you just swept a four-game series."

The Brewers (61-49) came into Atlanta in a freefall after losing four straight in a crucial National League Central Division matchup against the first-place Cubs (65-45) to fall five games off the pace.?? But the schedule makers did Milwaukee a favor, pitting the club against a struggling Braves club that has dropped nine of 16 since the All-Star break.

Milwaukee, which has won eight straight on the road, began a six-game stretch away from Miller Park on a positive note.

However, if you ask Fielder, the Brewers' last four against the Cubs were just like a road game as legions of Cubs fans took the 80-mile journey up I-94 to Milwaukee's home ballpark. Only the results were vastly different.

"We were on the road anyway, at home," Fielder joked. "We're use to it with 20,000 Cubs fans in the stands."

The Brewers wasted no time piling it up on against Chuck James (2-4) and the struggling Braves.

They effectively put the game away before Atlanta recorded an out when Braun plated Weeks for the game's first run.?? J.J. Hardy extended the edge to 2-0 with a sacrifice fly before Milwaukee tacked on a third run in the second on an RBI triple by Weeks.

All doubts of a Braves' comeback were removed when the Brewers plated three more in the third against James, a fly ball pitcher, who was recalled from Class AAA Richmond earlier in the day.?? James replaced staff ace Tim Hudson, who may be lost for the season with an elbow injury.

Fielder launched a one-out bomb midway up the Terrace Pavilion section in right field for his 22nd homer of the season before Cameron followed with a two-run shot into the right-centerfield bleachers to give the Brewers a six-run cushion.

"I hit it," Fielder said about his towering homer. "I got lucky. I just ran into it."

James had quite the different take on the titanic 414-foot blast that just narrowly missed Atlanta's second deck.

"That one did not get out by a little bit," James said. "He got that one good."

Milwaukee added three in the eighth off struggling reliever Royce Ring, who has allowed 19 runs over his last eight appearances.

"It all has to do with pitching, and we just didn't do it," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "Chuck (James) had good velocity, but no location at all and he paid for it. It's always the theme. You can throw as hard as you want, but if you don't locate, you're not going to win."

The runs were more than enough for Suppan (6-7), who looked more like the pitcher that the Brewers thought they were going to get when they signed him to a four year, $42 million contract last season than a pitcher that entered this one with a 5.04 ERA.

The righthander scattered five hits while striking out one and walking three over seven frames in a 100-pitch performance.?? He needed just 13 pitches to dispatch the last six Braves in order in the sixth and seventh innings en route to notching his first win in five starts in Atlanta.

"I wasn't aware until you told me that," said Suppan, who was 0-4 with a 7.25 ERA in four starts against Atlanta prior to this one. "It's nice to get a win where you haven't."

The only time Atlanta came close to scoring against Suppan was in the fourth. The Milwaukee starter loaded the bases with two outs before retiring pinch hitter Greg Norton to end the threat.

"I felt like it was a situation in the fourth where I got a little bit out of my game plan," Suppan said. "(Brewers catcher Jason Kendall) really helped me get out of the inning."

Atlanta, which has allowed 62 runs over its last seven games, was shut out for the 11th time this season.

James allowed six runs and six hits, walked four and struck out two in 2 2/3 innings for the Braves, who have dropped four of five on their seven game homestand.