By Tom Saladino
The Associated Press
ATLANTA – His teammates had plenty to say about Rick Ankiel’s debut at Turner Field. Ankiel had one word: perfect.
Tim Hudson pitched six solid innings and Ankiel drove in two runs with his first hit as a Brave – a two-out, two-run single in a three-run first inning that helped Atlanta to a 4-1 victory over the New York Mets on Monday night.
Chipper Jones added a solo home run in the seventh as the Braves, who had lost five of seven games and two straight, increased their National League East lead to three games over the idle Philadelphia Phillies.