NEW YORK – Tim Hudson pitched seven gritty innings before turning it over to one of the best bullpens in baseball, and Omar Infante’s hot bat helped the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 4-0 on Saturday.
Infante, the Braves’ jack-of-all trades All-Star, had three hits and drove in a run after getting four hits in the series opener. Hudson (9-4) helped himself with a pair of hits that included an RBI double during a four-run fifth.
The Braves won their fourth straight game and moved five in front of the Mets in the NL East with one game left before the All-Star break. They have a chance to sweep the series Sunday after losing three straight at Citi Field in late April.
As if losing ground in the division wasn’t bad enough, the Mets also watched Jose Reyes leave the game after making a difficult fielding play in the seventh inning.
The All-Star shortstop appeared to hurt himself ranging to his right to field a grounder by Troy Glaus and making a long throw to first base. Reyes has been hampered by a sore left side that has prevented the switch-hitter from batting from the right side the last few games.