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PHOENIX(AP)
Dan Haren
slipped and fell after delivering a pitch in the eighth inning. It was one of very few stumbles for the right-hander all night.
Haren outpitched
Derek Lowe
and the
Arizona Diamondbacks
took advantage of second baseman
Kelly Johnson
's error to score four times in the fourth inning on their way to a 5-2 victory over Atlanta on Thursday.
''He can control a game,'' Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch said of Haren. ''It's a sight to see when he competes. He executes
pitches, he's got a game plan. He doesn't back down. He thinks along with the hitters.''
Haren (4-4) retired 15 in a row before a two-out double by Johnson and RBI single by
Casey Kotchman
in the eighth inning. The last batter Haren faced was
Chipper Jones
, who had doubled in a run earlier in the game. Jones struck out looking.
''That was one of the best balls I threw all night,'' Haren said. ''He's a tough guy to strike out. He's given me some trouble
over the years. I knew I had to make a perfect pitch and I knew it was probably my last batter, too, so I dug in deep and
made the pitch.''
He allowed two runs and seven hits in eight innings, striking out eight to earn his first victory in four starts.
''We hit the ball really good early in the game,'' Atlanta manager
Bobby Cox
said, ''and later on Haren got really tough. ... You can say 'Well, we didn't hit the ball tonight,' but he was hard to hit
at. A lot of teams wouldn't have hit him tonight at all.''
Haren has not walked a batter in his last three outings. He's walked nine all season, with 71 strikeouts.
Lowe (6-3) gave up five runs, three earned, and a season-high 10 hits for the Braves, who were swept in three games in San
Francisco before opening a four-game set in Arizona.
''I pitched poorly pretty much the whole game,'' Lowe said. ''That was pretty much a grind from the first pitch all the way
through. I was just fortunate to not give up any more runs.''
Chad Qualls
pitched a perfect ninth, with some defensive help from second baseman
Augie Ojeda
and shortstop
Stephen Drew
, for his 12th save in 14 opportunities.
Justin Upton
singled three times for the Diamondbacks to raise his average to .346. The 21-year-old outfielder has hit safely in seven
straight games and 30 of the last 33.
The error by Johnson on what looked to be a double play cleared the way for Arizona's big fourth.
''I was just trying to catch the ball first and make the best play possible after that, whether that's to go to second or
go to first, but it just kind of hopped up on me and I didn't catch it,'' Johnson said.
The miscue left runners at first and second with no outs, and
Mark Reynolds
doubled to right-center on the next pitch to bring home both runs.
Eric Byrnes
and
Ryan Roberts
followed with RBI singles to put the Diamondbacks up 5-1. Two of the Arizona runs were unearned.
Reynolds, Byrnes and Roberts each had two hits. Byrnes tripled and scored on
Chris Young
's sacrifice fly to give Arizona a 1-0 lead in the second.
The Braves tied it in the third when Jones doubled in Johnson.
Haren fell on a 1-0 pitch to
Jordan Schafer
leading off the eighth. After talking to trainers, he got back on the mound and struck Schafer out.
Haren said he rolled his foot in a hole that Lowe creates in his landing area.
''It scared me for a second,'' he said. ''Once I stood up I knew I was fine.''
Notes: After the game, Arizona optioned LHP
Doug Slaten
to Triple-A Reno, with a corresponding roster move to be made Friday. ... Atlanta SS
Yunel Escobar
was scratched, missing his sixth straight game with a strained right hip flexor. ... Arizona 2B
Felipe Lopez
missed his fifth straight game with a sore hamstring. ... Jones was coming off the first four strikeout game of his career.
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