Braves sink Phillies, lead division
Hampton helps Atlanta drop Philly into second
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
ATLANTA -- In slightly more than three weeks, the Braves have erased disgust created by the season's first three months and actually once again created that sense of confident optimism that often rests in Atlanta during the late summer months.
No longer is there wonder regarding who will get hurt next, or who will make the next miscue. Instead, there is that sense that if the Braves are playing, there's a good chance they're going to find a way to win, like they did with the help of Mike Hampton in Monday night's 4-2 pivotal victory over the Phillies at Turner Field.
If this were the Tour de France, the victory over the Phillies would have enabled the Braves to don the yellow jersey for the first time this year. Both teams came into this two-game series tied for first place. But after the 92nd game of the season, it's Atlanta that is finally able to lay sole claim to first place in the National League East standings.
On June 23, the Braves were 6 1/2 games out of first place and playing worse than they have all year. One day later, after allowing four first-inning runs to the Marlins, Hampton settled down to get a victory and quite possibly marked the turning point in his season and that of his team's.
Since that victory over the Marlins, the Braves have won 17 of 22 games and Hampton, who won just one of his first 13 starts this season, has earned three of those victories. His latest conquest came by limiting the Phillies to two earned runs on five hits in seven innings.
Hampton's effort enabled him to whittle his ERA below 5.00 for the first time this season. Of course, if he were able to face the Phillies on a more regular basis, his statistics might not look so bad. In three starts against Philadelphia this year, the Braves southpaw is 2-0 with a 1.25 ERA.
After Hampton, who has won each of his past three starts, exited, John Smoltz took care of the final two innings to record his 18th save. He recorded four strikeouts and saw Andruw Jones make his third patented diving catch in two days to end the eighth inning.
Rafael Furcal took care of the defensive heroics to end the game. With runners on first and third, he jumped to stab a David Bell liner that had its sights set on left field.
Jones, who has been taking early batting practice under manager Bobby Cox's close supervision, helped the Braves give Hampton a 3-1 lead after four innings. The Gold Glove outfielder had an RBI single in the two-run second inning, and doubled and scored on a Charles Thomas single in the fourth inning.
After striking out in his first two at-bats of the evening, J.D. Drew got to Phillies starter Paul Abbott with a one-out single in the fifth that extended his career-best hitting streak to 16 games. He later scored Atlanta's final run on a Chipper Jones double.
The Phillies scored a run in the first inning with the help of a bad hop that eluded Jones at third base. Over the next four innings, Hampton allowed just one more hit. One of the two hits he allowed in the seventh was a leadoff homer to Jim Thome, his Major League-leading 31st.
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Yeah, so this one's for the fans who never lost faith. Who kept that faith all this time and never once stopped believing in those boys of summer from Hotlanta. This one's for you guys!
:)
da2kokib/al19fl
julie :)