By Steven Wine
MIAMI – Jair Jurrjens pitched seven innings and earned his first victory in 10 road starts this season when the Atlanta Braves beat the Florida Marlins 2-0 on Saturday night.
With the Braves clinging to first place in the National League East, Jurrjens (7-4) matched a career high by winning his fourth decision in a row. He allowed three hits and struck out seven.
In a matchup of JJs, Josh Johnson (11-6) came out on the short end. The Marlins’ ace tied a career high with 12 strikeouts in six innings but also gave up eight hits and left trailing 2-0.
Alex Gonzalez had both run-scoring hits for the Braves. They’ve been alone atop the division since May 31 but began the day only one game ahead of Philadelphia. The Phillies beat the Brewers 5-4 to remain a game behind.