Sports

Perry Helps Braves Beat Astros To End Skid

ATLANTA (AP) ― Jason Perry filled in quite nicely for Jeff Francoeur.

Perry hit a run-scoring triple in his first major league at-bat, Tim Hudson gave up only one run in seven innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros 6-2 on Friday night to end a five-game losing streak.

The Braves, who hadn't led a game in a week, won hours after the demotion of the popular Francoeur, a move general manager Frank Wren called the most difficult of his career. Wren plans to recall the slumping outfielder after the All-Star break.

Perry, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Richmond, drove in Brian McCann from first base with a triple to the right-field wall in the second inning.

Perry's hit followed Mark Kotsay's run-scoring fly to center field that gave the Braves a 1-0 lead -- their first in 47 innings, since the ninth inning of a 4-0 win at Toronto last Friday.

Kelly Johnson added a two-run homer as the Braves recovered from being swept by Philadelphia in a three-game home series for the second time this season.

Hudson (9-6) gave up four hits and one run, with three walks and six strikeouts. Mike Gonzalez pitched a perfect ninth for Atlanta.

McCann drove in Chipper Jones with a third-inning single for a 3-0 lead.

Lance Berkman drove in Darin Erstad with a single to left in the sixth, but Johnson answered with his two-run homer off Brian Moehler (4-4) in the bottom of the inning.

Moehler gave up six hits and five runs in six innings.

Jones' second hit, a single off Wesley Wright in the seventh, drove in Gregor Blanco, who was hit by a pitch from Wright to lead off the inning.

Erstad led off the eighth with a single off Blaine Boyer and scored on a groundout by Miguel Tejada.

Perry is the first Atlanta player to hit a triple in his first major league at-bat, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He's the first Braves player to have a triple for his first hit since Martin Prado on April 23, 2006.

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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