Rookie pitcher Tommy Hanson overcame control issues to shut down the visiting New York Yankees and give the Atlanta Braves a 4-0 victory on Tuesday. The 22-year-old walked five batters in five-and-one-third innings but pitched his way out of trouble and improved to 3-0 with the victory in just his fourth career major league start. "I was pretty pumped up. I felt like I made some good pitches, and I felt like I made some not-so-good pitches," Hanson said. "I definitely battled the whole game. It just feels good to come out of here with a win."
Hanson was relieved in the sixth inning by Peter Moylan, who forced New York's Derek Jeter to ground in a double play to end the Yankees' final scoring threat. Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano breezed through the final two innings for the Braves to preserve the team's second successive shut-out. "Our team is capable of throwing shut-outs," said the Braves manager Bobby Cox. "We've had good pitching performances all year long."
Catcher Brian McCann led the Braves with three hits including a solo home run in the eighth inning, his seventh of the year. Atlanta scored three runs against the starter Wang Chien-ming, who pitched five innings and allowed six hits. New York's slugger Alex Rodriguez continued his recent struggles at the plate by going hitless in four at-bats. "We didn't hit, we haven't hit, that's why we've been losing," Jeter said. "It's nothing deeper than that."
Elsewhere, Chase Utley homered and drove in four runs as the Philadelphia Phillies routed the Tampa Bay Rays 10-1 in a replay of last season's World Series. The Boston Red Sox scored six runs in the eighth inning on their way to an 11-3 win over the Washington Nationals. * Reuters
