NL East Wrap: Braves top Marlins in extra innings

Braves 4, Marlins 3 (11 Innings)

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MIAMI -- Martin Prado delivered the go-ahead single in the 11th inning. It was Dan Uggla's single in the fifth that drew the biggest cheer in the Atlanta Braves dugout, though.

Uggla extended his hitting streak to 30 games with an infield single off Clay Hensley to tie Andre Ehtier for the majors' longest hitting streak of the season and the Braves beat the Florida Marlins 4-3 on Tuesday night.

"The loudest cheer of the night in our dugout was when he beat out that ball," Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said. "You can say what you want to about the home run and scoring that run, I think we were all too tired to cheer in the 10th or 11th, whatever it was. When he got that hit, the whole dugout erupted."

The streak is the third-longest in Braves franchise history. Tommy Holmes hit in 37 straight games in 1945.

"This time I hit a single and I let Prado do all the damage tonight," Uggla said.

The start of the game was delayed one hour and 11 minutes due to rain, which left a wet outfield that benefited the Braves in the final inning.

Michael Bourn doubled to right off Edward Mujica (8-4) with one out in the 11th. Prado then singled to shallow right field, which slowed in the wet grass, and Mike Stanton's throw went over catcher Brett Hayes' head, allowing Bourn to score.

"I knew (Bourn) was going to go," Prado said. "Sometimes you have got to risk. The grass was wet, there were a lot of factors, and fortunately he scored."

Prado also homered, tied a career high with four hits and drove in three runs.

"Good for us and good for him," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "The last two or three games he's been getting upset with himself, he's such a perfectionist. I'm glad that he got some opportunities to drive in some runs."

Craig Kimbrel got Mike Cameron to ground into a double play to record his 36th save in 41 chances.

"That ball Cameron hit was a rocket," Gonzalez said.

George Sherrill (3-1) pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the win.

Mets 5, Padres 4

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NEW YORK -- With consecutive comebacks against baseball's best bullpen, the New York Mets pulled off a feat they hadn't achieved since Casey Stengel was their manager.

Rookie reliever Josh Spence walked light-hitting Ruben Tejada to force home the tiebreaking run and New York rallied late for the second straight night, beating the San Diego Padres 5-4 on Tuesday night.

"We like to fight to the end. That's the team that we are," center fielder Angel Pagan said.

Pagan homered to start New York's latest comeback and Jason Isringhausen earned his 299th save. The Mets, who trailed by four runs in the eighth inning Monday and by two in the eighth on Tuesday, won both games to move back above .500 (58-57).

The Mets said the last time they won consecutive games when trailing by two or more in the eighth inning or later was April 1965 at San Francisco, according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau.

"This team is not going to give up. They're going to play until the game is over," manager Terry Collins said.

Orlando Hudson, starting in the cleanup spot for the first time in his 10-year career, hit an RBI double for the Padres before leaving with a strained right groin. He is day to day.

Wade LeBlanc returned from a brief trip to the minors and pitched six solid innings for San Diego. He was in line for his first major league victory in almost a year before the depleted Mets fought back again.

"They're doing a good job of battling for nine innings, those guys. And our guys are, too," LeBlanc said. "They've been two close games and we've just come out on the wrong end."
Nationals 3, Cubs 1

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CHICAGO -- A small group of people started to assemble outside the visitors' clubhouse in the bottom of the ninth inning at Wrigley Field.

When Chicago's Alfonso Soriano popped out to center field to end the game, the crowd -- now upward of 75 people -- erupted.

Desperate to get a peek of the Washington Nationals as they climbed the stairs to the clubhouse, the crowd spotted Chien-Ming Wang and began chanting his name.

Wang allowed one hit over six scoreless innings, Jonny Gomes hit a two-run homer and the Washington Nationals beat the Cubs 3-1 on Tuesday night.

In his third start -- and first on the road -- after missing more than two years following shoulder surgery, Wang (1-2) won for the first time since June 28, 2009, against the New York Mets as a member of the Yankees.

"I told you I expected him to be better than he was the second time," Nationals manager Davey Johnson said, grinning.

Wang didn't allow a hit until pinch-hitter Tony Campana, who initially tried to lay down a bunt, led off the sixth with a hard liner off Morse's mitt at first. Campana beat out second baseman's Danny Espinosa's throw at first with Wang covering.

After Campana stole second, Wang quickly regrouped. He retired Castro and Darwin Barney on fly outs then ended his outing by getting Blake Dewitt to ground out to second on his 81st pitch.

"I was impressed the first time because I didn't think I'd see him with that free of a delivery and be able to hang in there for as long as he did. It was better the second time and I expected the progress to be better this time," Johnson said. "It was very impressive. Eighty pitches for six innings? That's vintage."

Wang's performance certainly brought back memories of his 2006 and 2007 seasons with the Yankees when he went 19-6 and 19-7, respectively.

Wang effectively used his sinker, while issuing two walks and hitting a batter with one strikeout.

"The last two outings, my sinker wasn't that good, so the ball wasn't getting down. That's why they got me," Wang said through an interpreter. "In the bullpen session, I was working on the release point. I think that's why I had a good outing today."
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