ATLANTA – Jason Heyward and Melky Cabrera each had two hits during a seven-run second inning, and the Atlanta Braves cruised past the Colorado Rockies 9-5 Friday night for their third straight win.
Eric Hinske drove in three runs and Chipper Jones homered for the Braves, who again made things easy for Derek Lowe (3-0). In Lowe’s three starts, Atlanta has scored 32 runs; the other four starters have gotten a total of 24 runs.
The 20-year-old Heyward led off the second against Jason Hammel (0-1) with a single to center and came around to score. He singled again before the inning was done, knocking out Hammel. Cabrera followed each of Heyward’s hits with single of his own, the second driving in the final two runs of the big inning.
Colorado bounced back from an 8-0 deficit, cutting the lead in half on pinch-hitter Seth Smith’s three-run homer in the fifth. Lowe lasted 5 1-3 innings, giving up seven hits and four runs (three earned). Eric O’Flaherty worked 1 2-3 innings, allowing a run, and Kris Medlen finished up with two scoreless innings, striking out three.
Hammel was charged with all seven runs in the second. He surrendered eight hits and walked three, retiring only five batters before getting yanked.