The Atlanta Braves are closing in on an NL wild-card berth, but Cliff Lee stands in the way of their immediate progress in that area.
Lee hopes to continue his recent success Sunday when the Philadelphia Phillies try to take the decisive series finale against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park.
Freddie Freeman hit a three-run homer and Jason Heyward had four RBIs on Saturday as Atlanta (87-65) scored seven runs in the first two innings off Roy Halladay to win 8-2. The Braves snapped the Phillies' four-game winning streak, while reducing their own magic number to clinch a wild-card spot to three.
The Braves have won six of eight and appear much more focused than the club that had an 8 1/2-game wild-card lead last year, but went 9-18 down the stretch and were overtaken by St. Louis on the final day of the season.
"I don't want to hear anything about it," Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said.Philadelphia (77-75) has won 20 of 28, but the five-time defending NL East champions are four games behind the Cardinals for the second and final wild-card spot.
"It's definitely not where we want to be, but we've still got a chance," Lee told the Phillies' official website.
Though the Braves have won six of eight at Philadelphia, they expect to face a stiff challenge versus Lee (6-7, 3.27 ERA). The left-hander is 4-0 with a 1.63 ERA in seven starts since losing to St. Louis on Aug. 11.
That stretch includes a 5-1 victory at Atlanta on Sept 1, when Lee allowed five hits over seven scoreless innings. He's yielded two runs in 22 innings while winning his last three starts against the Braves, and is 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA in his last four versus Atlanta.
Lee has allowed one earned run and struck out 16 over 15 innings in his last two starts overall. That run came along with 10 strikeouts over eight innings of a 3-1 win at New York on Monday.
"He controlled the game, he was that good," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.Chipper Jones , who will play what is likely his last game in Philadelphia on Sunday, is batting .429 (9 for 21) with four doubles and a homer versus Lee. Jones went 2 for 5 with an RBI on Saturday to help the Braves even this weekend's set.
Freeman's homer is the only hit in his last 15 at-bats.
Scheduled Atlanta starter Tim Hudson (15-6, 3.77) has a 5.32 ERA in four starts against the Phillies this season but is 2-1 in those contests. He's allowed 11 runs, three homers and walked six in 9 1-3 innings while going 0-1 in his last two outings versus Philadelphia. The most recent came opposite Lee on Sept 1, when he gave up five runs in five innings.
The right-hander yielded four runs in the fourth inning and did not walk or strike out a batter over five frames of a 7-5 win at Miami on Monday.
Ryan Howard , who homered Saturday for the Phillies, has hit .355 (22 for 62) with seven homers against Hudson during his career.
@
AVG
HRRUNSSBSOBBOBPSLGOPS
VS.
| HITTERS | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | OBP | OPS | SLG |
| Michael Bourn | 15 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Jose Constanza | 4 | .250 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .250 | .500 | .250 |
| Randall Delgado | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Matt Diaz | 16 | .375 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | .412 | 1.037 | .625 |
| Freddie Freeman | 13 | .154 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .214 | .368 | .154 |
| Tommy Hanson | 3 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Jason Heyward | 4 | .250 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .400 | 1.150 | .750 |
| Eric Hinske | 6 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Tim Hudson | 2 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Chipper Jones | 18 | .389 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | .389 | 1.167 | .778 |
| Brian McCann | 18 | .333 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | .368 | .812 | .444 |
| Martin Prado | 19 | .211 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | .211 | .527 | .316 |
| David Ross | 7 | .286 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .286 | .572 | .286 |
| Dan Uggla | 16 | .250 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | .294 | .857 | .563 |
| Jack Wilson | 3 | .667 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .750 | 1.417 | .667 |
VS.
| HITTERS | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | OBP | OPS | SLG |
| Roy Halladay | 6 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Cole Hamels | 6 | .167 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .286 | .453 | .167 |
| Kyle Kendrick | 4 | .500 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .500 | 1.000 | .500 |
| Cliff Lee | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| John Mayberry | 6 | .333 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | .500 | 1.833 | 1.333 |
| Laynce Nix | 19 | .368 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | .400 | .979 | .579 |
| Pete Orr | 7 | .429 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .500 | .929 | .429 |
| Hunter Pence | 13 | .385 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .429 | .891 | .462 |
| Juan Pierre | 26 | .308 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .333 | .718 | .385 |
| Placido Polanco | 18 | .111 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .200 | .311 | .111 |
| Jimmy Rollins | 64 | .188 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 5 | .235 | .610 | .375 |
| Carlos Ruiz | 27 | .259 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | .375 | .856 | .481 |
| Brian Schneider | 28 | .214 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | .241 | .527 | .286 |
| Jim Thome | 18 | .500 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 2 | .640 | 1.862 | 1.222 |
| Shane Victorino | 40 | .250 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 7 | .362 | .812 | .450 |
| Ty Wigginton | 2 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Vance Worley | 2 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
 Atlanta Braves |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| September 18, 2012 | Paul Janish | Day-to-Day | Shoulder |
| September 15, 2012 | Brian McCann | Day-to-Day | Left game - right hamstring tendinitis |
| August 25, 2012 | Ben Sheets | 15-Day DL | Right shoulder inflammation |
| August 25, 2012 | Ben Sheets | 15-Day DL | Right shoulder inflammation |
| August 10, 2012 | Chipper Jones | Day-to-Day | Back tightness |
| August 01, 2012 | Jair Jurrjens | 15-Day DL | Strained right groin |
 Philadelphia Phillies |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| September 05, 2012 | Placido Polanco | 15-Day DL | Lower back inflammation |
| August 31, 2012 | Raul Valdes | 15-Day DL | Torn meniscus in right knee |
| August 29, 2012 | Cole Hamels | Day-to-Day | Gastrointestinal illness |
| August 29, 2012 | Vance Worley | 15-Day DL | Loose bodies in right elbow |
| August 28, 2012 | Domonic Brown | Day-to-Day | Left game - left knee soreness |
| August 24, 2012 | Brian Schneider | 15-Day DL | Strained left hamstring |
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Tim Hudson pitched Atlanta to the brink of a playoff spot.
The Braves are set to answer how they'd respond to their 2011 collapse with a celebration at Turner Field.
Hudson tossed two-hit ball over 7 1-3 innings to help the Atlanta Braves inch closer to the postseason with a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
Hudson (16-6) struck out four and allowed one unearned run to send the Braves back to Atlanta with a shot at winning at least an NL wild-card berth.
A year after a historic September collapse, the Braves are again close to a postseason spot. They can clinch during a six-game homestand that opens Tuesday.
The win over Cliff Lee (6-8) reduced Atlanta's magic number for securing an NL wild-card playoff spot to two.
"It's a good feeling," Braves second baseman Dan Uggla said. "We're in a good spot to, at the very least, make the playoffs. We're not going to quit anything."
The Braves learned the hard way the crushing disappointment of blowing a big September lead. The Braves were up 8 1/2 games through Sept. 5 last year, but went 9-18 down the stretch and were overtaken by St. Louis on the final day of the season.
The Braves can almost work the final week of this season on setting their playoff rotation.
"I have one or two more starts before, hopefully, we get into the playoffs and it really starts counting," Hudson said.
David Ross hit a solo homer and Craig Kimbrel worked a scoreless ninth for his 39th save.
The Braves had to listen to questions all season about how they would turn the page on their poor ending to 2011.
Looks as if they can put the champagne on ice.
The Braves have won seven of nine and 14 of their past 20 overall.
Hudson was on top of his game, allowing a single in the third and one in the fifth. His only mistake came in the sixth. Jimmy Rollins worked a leadoff walk, advanced to second on Hudson's errant pickoff attempt. Rollins scored on Chase Utley 's sacrifice fly.
Hudson, who also doubled, has won at least 16 games in each of his past three seasons.
"I was able to come in and beat a great pitcher today," Hudson said.
Lee struck out 11 in eight strong innings, but lost for the first time since Aug. 11. Lee hadn't allowed more than a run in each of his past five starts and only one of his two runs allowed Sunday was earned.
The Phillies are likely to miss the postseason for the first time since 2006.
"We've put ourselves in a position we don't want to be in," Lee said. "You can't do anything about it now."
The five-time defending NL East champions had won four in a row and 12 of 15 to get in the wild-card race, only to lose two straight to the Braves.
Manager Charlie Manuel had said the Phillies had a "heartbeat" in the playoff chase. But their chances are about over.
"The noose is getting tighter, but we're still there," Manuel said.
Ross gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead in the second when his eighth homer of the year went over the wall in center.
The Braves loaded the bases against Lee in the third, getting one runner aboard when Lee bobbled a grounder, and Uggla's sacrifice fly made it 2-1.
While the Braves handled the constant questioning about their meltdown with class, it's clear how much earning a spot in this year's field would mean.
Considering last season's collapse, securing any playoff spot is quite the accomplishment. It would have been the biggest September meltdown in baseball history except that Boston blew a nine-game lead during the same month.
Forget about it now. The Braves, who are off Monday, will soon have a reason to again enjoy the postseason.
"We were able to scrap and get just enough to win," Hudson said.
Notes: Lee had a double-digit strikeout game for the 23rd time in his career. ... The Braves (88-65) are 23 games over .500 for the first time since Sept. 9, 2011. ... Lee has pitched at least six innings and not issued more than one walk in 15 consecutive starts, a record in the modern era. Christy Mathewson (1908) and Gregg Maddux (1997) did it in 14. ... Ross' eight homers are his most since he hit 17 with Cincinnati in 2007.
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Atlanta Braves
