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Friday, May 12 7:05pm ET
Rocker earns a rocky save | |||||
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- John Rocker, pitching in the Northeast for the first time since his suspension, sprinted in to a mixed reaction Friday night and barely preserved the Atlanta Braves' 8-7 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Braves rallied for two runs in the ninth, set up by shortstop Desi Relaford's two-out error. Pinch-hitter Andres Galarraga then tied it with a double and rookie Rafael Furcal followed with an RBI single. That left it up to Rocker, and he ran in from the bullpen as nearly the entire crowd of 21,922 stood. Both the boos and cheers were loud -- a heavy security presence, including major league officials down from New York, watched the fans the whole way. Rocker hung on to earn his eighth save in nine chances. He worked around two walks and retired Scott Rolen, who earlier hit a grand slam, on a routine fly ball to end it. Rocker had previously pitched in Los Angeles, San Diego and Florida since returning his two-week penalty for insensitive remarks. Before this game, he was the most popular player at Veterans Stadium, signing autographs and tossing a couple of balls into the stands. He heard only positive remarks at that time, and was the last player to leave the field after warmups. Kerry Ligtenberg (1-1) was the winner and Wayne Gomes (1-4) took the loss. Rolen, a notoriously bad hitter with the bases loaded, connected for a grand slam that capped a six-run rally in the seventh that put the Phillies ahead 7-6. Brian Jordan hit two home runs and Andruw Jones added a solo shot for the Braves. Pitcher Terry Mulholland had a career-high three hits, two of them off Curt Schilling. It looked like it would be an easy night for the Braves as they took a 6-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh. But Kevin Jordan led off with a double and moved up on a passed ball. Brian Hunter, waived by Atlanta last month and playing in place of the injured Rico Brogna, drove in the run with a grounder. After a single by Desi Relaford, Rudy Seanez relieved and singles by pinch-hitter Mickey Morandini and Doug Glanville loaded the bases. Ron Gant struck out and a walk to Bobby Abreu made it 6-3. Rolen then hit the first pitch over the right-center field wall. Rolen was only 8-for-46 (.174) lifetime with the bases loaded until that drive. He had started out his career 0-for-18 in those situations, though he hit a grand slam last season against Chicago. Schilling, who shut out the Braves on 11 hits last Saturday, struggled from the start. He gave up a home run to Jones in the first and Jordan in the second, and was pulled after the fifth. Mulholland, who left last Sunday's start because of a bronchial spasm, pitched 6 1-3 innings. He began the game as a career .107 hitter with 19 RBI, and went 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Game notesBrogna, hit in the left forearm by Montreal rookie Matt Blank on Wednesday night, underwent surgery in the morning. The Phillies first baseman is expected to miss 10-12 weeks. ... Wally Joyner started at first base for the Braves in place of Galarraga, who is 4-for-40 with 19 strikeouts lifetime against Schilling. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Atlanta Clubhouse Philadelphia Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 9 Baltimore 0
Atlanta 8
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