Game Recap #12 Atlanta Braves @ New York Yankees

In our first game today, we have two franchises that have a long history going against one another. The visitors started off in Boston, before moving to Milwaukee and later Atlanta, and they are the Braves. The hosts have been in New York City for the length of their existence, and have won more championships than any North American professional sports team, and they are the Yankees. This game began early, with an Atlanta rally in the first inning really beginning to get to Yankees starter Phil Hughes. Michael Bourn led off with a single, and was later scored by a Dan Uggla single after stealing second base to get in scoring position. Hughes got off no easier, as Freddie Freeman finished Uggla's trip by placing a ball in the right-center field seats. New York got one back as the Captain Derek Jeter hit a leadoff solo shot in the bottom of the first, going to the short porch in right field. Atlanta kept up with a power theme in the third, fourth, and fifth innings, with a solo home run in each that eventually chased Hughes. Prado struck in the third and took the ball over the wall in left field, while phenom Jason Heyward went the other way in the fourth inning and backup catcher David Ross took it back to left field for his blast in the fifth. New York countered with three solo shots in the fifth and sixth innings. Eric Chavez got the party going for the home team with his blast in the fifth, going to center field, before Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano went back-to-back in the sixth inning, both going toward right field. Atlanta starter Tommy Hanson left after this power display, and turned things over to Jonny Venters, Chad Durbin, Eric O'Flaherty, and Kris Medlen for the rest of the game. It was Durbin who was touched for a run in the seventh inning as Curtis Granderson lifted a single into right field to get Russell Martin home. As for the Yankees pen, Cody Eppley and Clay Rapada kept things clean after Hughes was relieved, but Cory Wade was not as fortunate when he let Prado aboard in the eighth inning, and then Freeman's groundout let Prado score. However, his fellow reliever Boone Logan was dinged for a two-run home run in the same inning, the ninth long ball in the game being a two-run shot from the bat of Heyward, that also scored Uggla. That was Heyward's second homer of the game, and his tenth of the season. The Braves finished it off in the ninth inning when Juan Francisco singled and then got to third base on an error, before finishing his trip on a Prado single. This run was scored against Freddy Garcia. Francisco was also credited with a stolen base in the ninth. The final was declared at 10-5 for the Braves, with Hanson not dominant or even effective in the win, while Hughes was less so in the loss.