Uggla, Bourn Help Braves Earn Wild 12-6 Win Over Phillies

Tim Hudson looked good early, but struggled in the middle innings of his start tonight. That's when Dan Uggla showed up.

Hudson failed to hold a large lead, but Uggla and Michael Bourn led the way with three hits each and the Braves survived a Phillies comeback to win 12-6.

Jimmy Rollins greeted Hudson rudely with a first-pitch home run in the first, but Atlanta responded with four in the second against Kyle Kendrick. David Ross's groundout with two on tied the game; Paul Janish walked before Hudson helped himself with a two-run double to center. Hudson later scored on Martin Prado's single.

Bourn added to Kendrick's woes in the fourth inning with a two-run homer, his ninth of the season to put Atlanta up 6-1. The homer knocked Kendrick from the game and put the Braves in prime position to pin their first loss on him since July 25, 2008.

Tim Hudson with a five-run lead is a virtual lock to win, but not this game. He worked around two fourth-inning walks, but a quick top of the fifth forced Hudson back to work and that's when the trouble really started. He surrendered a leadoff single to Kevin Frandsen, who later scored on a one-out double by Jimmy Rollins. Domonic Brown chased home Rollins with a double of his own to cut the lead to three. The second pitch to Chase Utley hit him on the foot to put two on for Ryan Howard, and Hudson paid dearly. Howard crushed a three-run homer to center and suddenly the game was tied 6-6. Kendrick was off the hook.

Despite blowing a five-run lead, the Braves were in the Phillies bullpen and they took advantage in a big way. Following two quick outs in the seventh, Jason Heyward knocked a double to center against Antonio Bastardo. Chipper Jones was intentionally walked, but then Freddie Freeman, a lefty facing a lefty, was unintentionally walked to load the bases for Dan Uggla. Bastardo was pulled for new Phillies reliever Josh Lindblom, but it didn't matter. Uggla, cleared the bases with a double to left, his third hit of the game to restore Atlanta's lead. A fourth run scored with help from Kevin Frandsen's throwing error on David Ross's grounder.

Atlanta added two more runs in the eighth. Michael Bourn's third hit of the game, a double to left, scored Tyler Pastornicky who had walked leading off the inning. Two more walks loaded the bases, and Freddie Freeman hit what was supposed to be an easy double play grounder back to the pitcher, Jeremy Horst. Instead, Horst bobbled the ball, allowing Bourn to score.

The Braves relief corps took care of the rest. Once Hudson left the game with one out in the fifth, Atlanta relievers allowed just two base runners the rest of the way. Chad Durbin earned the win with a perfect sixth inning.

David Ross stole the first base of his career in the seventh, this being his 636th major-league game.