Victorino, Phillies continue mastery of Braves

[July 02, 2008]  ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) -- Shane Victorino hit a home run and drove in four runs and the Phillies beat the Braves 8-3 on Tuesday night to remain unbeaten at Turner Field this season.

Pat Burrell also hit a homer for the Phillies, who improved to 6-1 against the Braves this season. They are 4-0 in Atlanta.

The Phillies took three straight wins in Atlanta on June 6-8 but then lost six straight series, including four against American League teams. The Phillies, only 4-11 in interleague play, are 41-28 against NL teams.

Chipper Jones was 1-for-3 with a double and two walks in his return after missing eight straight starts with a strained right quadriceps. Mark Kotsay came off the disabled list after missing 33 games since May 26 with a lower back strain. He went 0-for-4.

The Braves had one of the best home records in baseball in the first two months of the season but are only 3-7 in the last 10 home games, including the four losses to the Phillies.

The Phillies, who averaged only 2.8 runs while posting a 2-9 mark in their last 11 games, broke out with 14 hits. Philadelphia scored five runs on eight hits in the first three innings against Braves rookie Charlie Morton (1-2).

Burrell hit a second-inning homer and Victorino added a two-run shot in the Phillies' four-run third. Burrell and Geoff Jenkins had run-scoring singles in the third as the Phillies had six straight hits to knock Morton out of the game before he could record an out in the inning.

Victorino drove in two more runs with a bases-loaded single in the ninth.

Kyle Kendrick (8-3) gave up seven hits and three runs in six innings. He left after pinch-hitter Greg Norton's two-run double in the seventh. Norton scored on Mark Teixeira's groundout later in the inning, cutting the Phillies' lead to 5-3.

Braves relievers Buddy Carlyle, Manny Acosta and Will Ohman combined for six scoreless innings.

The Phillies scored three runs in the ninth off Blaine Boyer. Jayson Werth led off with a single, stole second and advanced to third on Brian McCann's throwing error before scoring on a fly ball to left by Pedro Feliz. Boyer walked two batters before giving up Victorino's two-run single.

With his 20th homer, Burrell joined Mike Schmidt as the only Phillies with 20 or more homers in eight straight seasons. Schmidt hit at least 20 homers in eight straight seasons (1974-87).

Chase Utley (23) and Ryan Howard (20) and Burrell give the Phillies three players with at least 20 homers before the All-Star break for the first time in team history.

Notes: The Phillies agreed to terms with their first-round draft pick, shortstop Anthony Hewitt of Brooklyn. Hewitt, projected as a third baseman, received a bonus of $1.38 million. The Phillies also agreed to pay for four eight semesters of college in the offseason for Hewitt, who signed with Vanderbilt. ... Jeff Francoeur ended an 0-for-13 drought with a seventh-inning single. ... Ohman struck out Utley and Howard with the bases loaded in the eighth.

[Associated Press; By CHARLES ODUM]

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