Atlanta Braves second baseman Dan Uggla (26) follows his three-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2011. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)DAVID GINSBURG, AP Sports Writer
WASHINGTON – When his batting average dipped to .173 on July 4 and every hard-hit ball seemingly turned into an out, Dan Uggla never lost faith that he would pull out of his horrific slump.
That is precisely what happened, in extraordinary fashion.
Uggla homered and extended his career-best hitting streak to 25 games, Freddie Freeman had two hits and two RBIs, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 6-4 Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep.
Uggla went 2 for 4, including a three-run drive that put the Braves up 6-0 in the fifth inning. His hitting streak is Atlanta’s longest since Marquis Grissom put together a 28-game run in 1996.