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GAME LOG
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- After watching a pregame ceremony that
honored the 1980 World Series champions, the present-day version of
the Phillies played just like them.
Cliff Politte struck out a career-high seven in six innings,
Bobby Abreu had four hits and Alex Arias had a homer and three RBIs
as Philadelphia beat the Atlanta Braves 9-3 Saturday night.
"We started the game with a lot of energy. It was a beautiful
day to have the 1980 team here," Abreu said. "When you see stars
like that, you get a little emotion and you want to do things
right, do it just like them."
Politte (1-1), starting in place of the injured Andy Ashby,
allowed two runs, six hits and walked one as the last-place
Phillies took their second straight from Atlanta, which has the
best record in the NL.
"That kind of ceremony pumps you up," Politte said. "It's
awesome to see something like that. I loved being a part of that."
Before a crowd of 37,292, Philadelphia scored three runs on five
straight hits in the first inning.
Run-scoring singles by Scott Rolen and Pat Burrell and an RBI
double by Kevin Jordan put the Phillies ahead against Terry
Mulholland (6-6).
After the Braves closed to 3-2 on homers by Reggie Sanders and
Andruw Jones, Arias hit a two-run double in the third. His first
homer since last Aug. 23 gave the Phillies a 6-2 lead in the sixth.
"He's got pretty good stuff, but he always gives me something
to hit," said Arias, who was 2-for-2 off Mulholland, raising his
career average against him to .571 (8-for-14).
Politte struck out Chipper Jones in the fifth to escape a
two-out jam with runners on second and third. He fanned Andres
Galarraga three times and struck out four of the first five hitters
around a walk.
The 26-year-old right-hander was slated to start against the New
York Mets on Tuesday, but was moved up to Saturday when a blister
on the middle finger of Ashby's pitching hand became infected.
"My change-up was bad so I stayed with my fastball and
slider," Politte said. "After my last outing, you hang your head.
You want to come out and pitch 10 times better."
Politte allowed three runs in three innings before leaving after
a long rain-delay in a 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay last Monday.
The victory was his second with the Phillies and first as a
starter. Politte, acquired from St. Louis in November 1998, won
once in relief last season.
He was called up from Triple-A Scranton Wilkes Barre on June 2
to replace the ineffective Paul Byrd, an All-Star last season who
was 1-5 with a 7.86 ERA.
"He gave us what he's supposed to do," Phillies manager Terry
Francona said. "It was nice to give him runs early, especially
against the Braves."
Mulholland, who missed his previous start on Thursday because of
a tight hamstring, allowed seven runs and 13 hits in six innings.
"I thought I was making good pitches," Mulholland said. "I
thought my only mistake was to Arias (on the double)."
Chris Brock pitched two innings in relief of Politte and allowed
one run -- Chipper Jones' 16th home run. Abreu added a two-run
single in the eighth.
Abreu's only out was a liner to deep right. He got a bloop
double in the third that landed among a trio of infielders.
"You never think that's going to be a hit," said Abreu, who
now is 7-for-13 (.538) against Mulholland.
Game notes
A few of the Phillies sought out the 1980 stars before the
game and asked them to autograph some baseballs. Hall of Famer
Steve Carlton was popular among his fellow left-handers. Relievers
Mark Holzemer and Bryan Ward were among those to get autographs
from Carlton. ... Chipper Jones extended his hitting streak to 15
games with a third-inning single. He later made a nice play ranging
far to his left while playing shortstop after starting the game at
third base. ... Andruw Jones' 18th homer in the third nearly
reached the upper deck in left-center, bouncing off the facade. ...
Phillies SS Desi Relaford was not in the starting lineup after
committing two errors on Friday that brought his major
league-leading total to 18. Francona said he will start Sunday. ...
Ron Gant went 2-for-4 against Mulholland to raise his average off
the left-hander to .400 (24-for-60).
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Baseball Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
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