Braves’ Sheets wins in return
Ben Sheets loved being back in the major leagues so much that he broke normal custom for starting pitchers and watched the last three innings from the Atlanta Braves hot dugout instead of from the clubhouse.
“I like to do that, and I’ve had very good feedback on it,” he said. “You work so hard to get a victory. I ain’t going to leave them out there. They’re battling for me.”
Sheets pitched six scoreless innings in his first big-league game in two years as the Braves beat the visiting New York Mets 6-1 Sunday for their season-high seventh consecutive victory.
Freddie Freeman hit a three-run homer in a six-run fifth inning, and Sheets (1-0) allowed two hits and one walk with five strikeouts in his first start since July 19, 2010.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Freeman said of his new teammate. “It didn’t look like he took two years off.”
The Mets have lost four in a row and seven of 10. Atlanta improved to a season-high 10 games over .500.
Mets starter Johan Santana (6-6) gave up eight hits, six runs and two walks and struck out three in five innings.
The Braves had placed two runners in scoring position before Matt Diaz, who began the game with a .514 average in 35 career at-bats against Santana, doubled to lead off the fifth.
After Paul Janish walked on a slider that appeared to cross the outside part of the plate for a strikeout, Michael Bourn hit a one-out, oppositefield RBI double down the line in left field to score Diaz from second and make it 1-0.
Sheets, unsigned after he missed 2011 following elbow ligament replacement surgery, escaped a jam in the third with runners on second and third when David Wright flied out to deep right.
Sheets threw 88 pitches, 57 for strikes. In his previous start two years ago, he lost 2-1 to the Boston Red Sox while pitching for the Oakland Athletics.
Making his 242nd career start, Sheets improved to 91-92 and lowered his ERA to 3.77. Against the Mets, Sheets improved to 5-2 with a 4.05 ERA. The Braves purchased the contract of the former Milwaukee Brewers ace from Class AA (Pearl) Mississippi before the game.
“He mixed his pitches well, and his command was outstanding,” Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “A little better than I thought it would be the first time out. He gave us a hell of an opportunity to win the ballgame.”