The Worst to First Association

[motnahp]

Pete Smith (4-0) posted 7 scoreless innings, as the Braves won their 8th straight, 4-0 over the Expos. Smith allowed 8 hits, walked 2 and struck out 6. He also went 2-3 at the plate with an RBI. Ron Gant an Jeff Blauser were each 2-4. Mike Wegener fell to 1-3 for Montreal.

SUN MAY 15

MON_____0___9___1
ATL______4__10___1

Season record: 22-16, 3rd place in NL East, 3 GB Philadelphia & New York (they are tied)

[motnahp]

Jeff Blauser's 2-run homer (1) in the bottom of the 8th snapped a 1-1 tie and gave the Braves their 9th straight win, 3-1 over the Florida Marlins. The other Atlanta run came courtesy of a Gerald Perry solo homer (1). Jim Acker (2-2) picked up the win with 2 scoreless innings of relief. Bruce Sutter notched his 6th save. Kirt Ojala (3-2) took the loss.

MON MAY 16

FLA_____1___9___1
ATL_____3___8___0

[motnahp]

The Braves' 9-game winning streak was snapped today, as Jesus Sanchez shut down the Braves for 8 1/3 innings. The young lefty allowed only 6 hits, walked 3, and struck out 8, as the Marlins blanked the Braves 4-0. Sanchez (3-1) loaded the bases in the 9th. Felix Heredia came on and closed the door, earning his 1st save. Zane Smith went 7 innings for Atlanta and fell to 4-4. Cliff Floyd had a 2-run double for the Marlins.

TUE MAY 17

FLA_____4___9___1
ATL_____0___6___0

[motnahp]

The Braves got RBI singles from Gerald Perry and Jerry Royster in the bottom of the 8th to nip the Marlins 2-1. Paul Assenmacher (2-0) collected the win. Bruce Sutter pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning for his 7th save. Ryan Dempster (0-6) was the tough-luck loser for Florida.

WED MAY 18

FLA_____1___3___0
ATL_____2___8___0

[motnahp]

Gerald Perry singled home Lonnie Smith with the winning run in the bottom of the 13th, as the Braves won 5-4, taking 3 of 4 from the Marlins. Perry finished the game 4-7 with 3 RBI. Dale Murphy went 3-5 with 2 doubles and a homer (4). The Braves led 3-1 behind the brilliant pitching of Charlie Puleo, who allowed only 1 run on 4 hits over 7 2/3 innings. Bruce Sutter could not hold the lead in the 9th. Florida scored 3 times off Sutter to take a 4-3 lead. Matt Mantei came on for the save, but was thwarted by Murphy's solo homer with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th. Mantei (0-1) took the loss, while Paul Assenmacher (3-0) picked up the win.

Following a 6-1 homestand, the Braves take to the road again, with 3-games series in Arizona, San Diego, and Chicago.

THUR MAY 19

FLA_____4___8___0 (13 innings)
ATL_____5__14___1

Season record: 25-17, 3rd place in NL East, 2 1/2 GB 1st place New York

[motnahp]

The Braves trailed the D-Backs and Randy Johnson 3-0 after 7 innings, then tied the game at 3-3 in the 8th. Atlanta's bullpen could not hold though, as Arizona plated 3 of their own in the 8th to take a 6-3 decision. Johnson improved to 5-2 with the win. Jose Valverde pitched a scoreless 9th for his 12th save. Joe Boever (0-1) suffered the loss.

The Braves placed IF Jerry Royster (knee) and LHP Chuck Cary (hamstring) on the 15-day disabled list. They recalled SS Andres Thomas and RHP Juan Eichelberger from AAA.

FRI MAY 20

ATL_____3___6___1
ARI_____6__15___0

[motnahp]

Rick Mahler (4-3) went the distance as the Braves bested the Diamondbacks 5-1. Mahler allowed 9 hits, walked 1 and struck out 1. Ozzie Virgil was 2-4 at the plate with a double and 2 RBI. Steve Sparks (3-6) took the loss for Arizona.

SAT MAY 21

ATL_____5___9___2
ARI_____1___9___0

[motnahp]

The Braves spotted the D-backs a 2-0 lead, then cruised to a 9-3 win in Phoenix. The news was not all good, though. Zane Smith started on the mound, but left in the first inning with elbow stiffness. He will miss at least one start and may be placed on the disabled list. Recently promoted Juan Eichelberger came on to relieve Smith, allowed 2 runs in the 2nd inning, then left the game in the 3rd inning with a quad injury. He will be placed on the 15-day DL. Jim Acker relieved Eichelberger, hurled 4 2/3 scoreless innings, and raised his record to 3-2.

At the plate, Lonnie Smith was 3-5 with a triple and 2 RBI. Albert Hall had a double and 3 RBI. Gerald Perry, Ron Gant, Ken Oberkfell, and Andres Thomas chipped in with two hits apiece. Randy Choate (2-2) took the loss in relief for Arizona.

SUN MAY 22

ATL_____9___15___1
ARI_____3____8___1

Season record: 27-18, 3rd place in NL East, 1 1/2 GB New York and Philadelphia, who are tied for first

[motnahp]

The Braves opened a 3-game series in San Diego with a 6-1 triumph over the Padres. Tom Glavine allowed only 4 hits in 8 innings and improved to 4-2 on the season. Glavine also starred at the plate, going 2-4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. Gerald Perry added a 2-RBI double, Ken Oberkfell was 4-4, and Jeff Blauser went 3-4. Steve Arlin allowed only 2 runs in 5 innings, but took the loss and fell to 2-4. Before the game, the Braves placed pitched Juan Eichelberger on the 15-day DL and recalled RHP John Smoltz from AAA.

MON MAY 23

ATL_____6___12___0
SD______1___4____2

[motnahp]

Charlie Puleo (4-1) pitched 7 scoreless innings, allowing only 3 hits, walking 2 and striking out 5 as the Braves blanked the Padres 1-0. The game's only run scored on a 6th-inning sacrifice fly off the bat of Dale Murphy. Tommie Sisk (4-2) took the loss for San Diego. Paul Assenmacher and Bruce Sutter (SV 8) kept the Padres off the board in the 8th and 9th innings, respectively.

TUE MAY 24

ATL_____1___9___0
SD______0___5___0

[motnahp]

Clay Kirby (4-2), Al McBean, and Frank Reberger (SV 7) combined to shut out the Braves 2-0. Both Padre runs scored in the bottom of the 4th inning, as Nate Colbert had an RBI double and Van Kelly an RBI single. Pete Smith pitched 7 strong innings for the Braves, but suffered his first loss of the year and falls to 4-1.

The Braves are off Thursday, before closing out the road trip with a 3-game series in Chicago against the Cubs.

WED MAY 25

ATL_____0___8___0
SD______2___8___0

Season record: 29-19, tied for 2nd place in NL East (with Philadelphia), 2 GB New York

[motnahp]

The Braves squeezed out a 2-1 victory at Wrigley against the Cubs. Trailing 1-0, Atlanta got back-to-back triples in the top of the 8th from Dion James and Lonnie Smith with one out. Smith then scored the go-ahead run on a Gerald Perry groundout. Paul Assenmacher and Bruce Sutter (SV 9) held the Cubs down the last 2 innings. Rick Mahler allowed only 1 run in 7 innings. He is now 5-2. Willie Hernandez (6-2) took the loss in relief. Ken Kravec pitched 7 scoreless innings and got a no decision for the Cubs.

FRI MAY 27

ATL_____2___9___0
CHI_____1__10___0

[motnahp]

Lynn McGlothen (3-4) went the distance, as the Cubs powered past the Braves 7-3. Jody Davis (5) and Pat Tabler (3) homered off Tom Glavine (4-3), who allowed 5 runs in 5 1/3 innings. Ozzie Virgil (4) homered for Atlanta.

SAT MAY 28

ATL_____3___9___2
CHI_____7___9___0

[motnahp]

The Braves got another sterling performance on the mound from Charlie Puleo and beat the Cubs 4-1. Puleo (5-1) was perfect through 5 innings. He allowed only 4 hits and 1 run in 7 innings. He struck out 8 and didn't walk a batter. Ken Oberkfell was 3-5 with a homer (3), Ron Gant was 2-4 with a homer (3) and 2 RBI, and Dale Murphy went 2-4 with an RBI. Randy Martz (2-1) took the loss for the Cubs.

The Braves now start a 10-game homestand, with 3 against the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks come in for 4 games, followed by Montreal for 3.

SUN MAY 29

ATL_____4___10___0
CHI_____1____6___2

Season record: 31-20, 2nd place in NL East, 1/2 GB Philadelphia

[motnahp]

Ramon Martinez (4-2) and 3 relievers shut down the Braves, as the Dodgers took the opener of the 3-game series, 3-1. Jay Howell pitched a perfect 9th for his 19th save. Zane Smith returned to action for the Braves. He went 7 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits. He struck out 6 and walked 3. He fell to 4-5 on the season. Mike Piazza homered (7) for the Dodgers.

MON MAY 30

LA______3___9___0
ATL_____1___6___0

[motnahp]

The Dodgers showed why they have the best record in baseball, as they pounded the Braves 14-5. Henry Rodriguez led the 19-hit attack with a grand slam and a 2-run homer (5, 6) to account for 6 RBI. Darryl Strawberry went 4-5, hit his 7th homer, and drove in 2 runs. Eric Davis homered (2) and knocked in 2, and Eric Karros added a 2-run double. Dale Murphy (5) and Ozzie Virgil (5) homered for Atlanta. Orel Hershisher (4-2) went the distance for the Dodgers. Pete Smith (4-2) lasted only 3 1/3 innings and was charged with 7 earned runs.

TUE MAY 31

LA______14___19___0
ATL______5___10___2

Season record: 31-22, 2nd place in NL East 1 1/2 GB 1st place Philadelphia

[motnahp]

Standings at the end of May:

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....and the rest:

[motnahp]

The Dodgers completed the 3-game sweep of the Braves, edging Atlanta 2-1. The game was scoreless into the top of the 8th. Henry Rodriguez and Darryl Strawberry delivered back-to-back RBI singles to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. Tom Candiotti threw 7 shutout innings. Jay Howell earned his 20th save, despite allowing a Ron Gant solo homer (4) in the bottom of the 9th. Rick Mahler (5-4) pitched well, but took the loss.

WED JUNE 1

LA______2___9___0
ATL_____1___6___0

Season record: 31-23, 2nd place in NL East, 2 1/2 GB 1st place Philadelphia

[motnahp]

Tom Glavine (5-3), Joe Boever and Bruce Sutter combined to shut out the Diamondbacks 4-0. Arizona managed 11 hits, but left a total of 12 men on base, including the bases loaded two times. Dale Murphy (6) and Ted Simmons (1) cracked two run homers to provide the offense for the Braves. Shane Reynolds (0-7) took the loss for Arizona.

THUR JUNE 2

ARI_____0___11___0
ATL_____4____7___0