NL East Wrap: Braves rally past Wilson, Giants

Braves 5, Giants 4

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ATLANTA -- Freddie Freeman knew Brian Wilson had to throw a strike. He correctly guessed it'd come with heat.

Freeman capped a three-run rally against Wilson, San Francisco's star closer, in the ninth with a two-run, bases-loaded single to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 5-4 win over the Giants on Monday night.

"I knew I was going to get a pitch to hit," Freeman said.

"He's got to throw a strike or walk in the tying run. ... I got a pitch to hit and got it up the middle."

Wilson (6-4) couldn't hold a 4-2 lead. He gave up three hits and two walks in the ninth for his fifth blown save in 40 chances.

The Braves rallied in the Giants' first return to Atlanta since beating Atlanta in the 2010 NL division series.

The Braves, a distant second in the NL East, stretched their lead to five games over San Francisco in the NL wild-card race. The Giants began the night two games behind first-place Arizona in the NL West.

"We're right in the thick of things," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "This is August. We've got time to make this up."

The bearded Wilson was greeted with loud boos as he jogged to the mound.

Speedy Jose Constanza led off the inning with an infield hit before Wilson walked pinch-hitter Eric Hinske, who was replaced by pinch-runner Julio Lugo.

Michael Bourn's sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third before Martin Prado delivered a run-scoring single to left, trimming the Giants' lead to 4-3 and moving Lugo to third.

Wilson walked Brian McCann on four pitches to load the bases before striking out Dan Uggla to bring Freeman to the plate.

Freeman worked the count full and then waited on a fastball.

Freeman said he expected Wilson to throw "either a two-seamer or a cutter." He said he got the two-seamer.

The rookie first baseman lined the 3-2 pitch over the middle to drive in Lugo and Prado. Braves players stormed out of their dugout to celebrate around Freeman near second base.

"I'm not worried about what a hitter can do," Wilson said. "I pitch to my strengths. They hit them where we weren't.

"I lost the game. I blew it."

Mets 5, Padres 4 (10 Innings)

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SAN DIEGO -- Scott Hairston drove in the go-ahead run with a fielder's choice with one out in the 10th inning and the New York Mets beat the San Diego Padres 5-4 on Monday night to snap a five-game losing streak.

The Mets won for just the fourth time in 15 games. Lucas Duda and Josh Thole each had a homer among their three hits, and Thole had three RBIs.

After letting the Padres tie the game in the eighth, the Mets opened the 10th with consecutive walks by Jason Pridie and Thole against rookie left-hander Josh Spence (0-2)They advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Ruben Tejada off Chad Qualls. Pridie scored when Hairston, a former Padres player, hit a hard grounder to shortstop Alberto Gonzalez with the infield drawn in. Gonzalez fielded the ball and fell backward. He had no play at first but the Padres threw out Thole at third.

Manny Acosta (1-0) got the win after pitching the ninth. Jason Isringhausen allowed a walk and a single in the 10th before securing his seventh save in 11 chances this season and the 300th of his career.

The Padres tied it 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth when Orlando Hudson walked with one out, stole second and scored on pinch-hitter Jesus Guzman's single to right.

Mets starter R.A. Dickey, who had lost his previous three starts, took a no-decision. He was chased by Will Venable's two-run homer in the seventh that pulled the Padres to 4-3. The Mets scored as many runs for Dickey on Monday night as they had in his previous three starts.

Dickey allowed three runs on seven hits in 6 1-3 innings, struck out four and walked one.

San Diego starter Aaron Harang left in the sixth inning after a comebacker by Thole hit him on the right wrist or hand. Even so, Harang had thrown 93 pitches and reliever Erik Hamren was already warming up in the bullpen.

Harang went five-plus innings, allowing four runs and eight hits while striking out four and walking three.

Thole had a two-run homer and Duda a solo shot that gave the Mets a 3-0 lead off Harang in the second. Duda opened the inning with a shot deep into the seats in right field, his fifth. After Pridie walked with one out, Thole reached the home run porch down the right field line, his fourth.

Thole added an RBI single in the fourth to make it 4-1, and singled again in the sixth.

San Diego's Kyle Blanks hit an RBI double in the third. Venable chased Dickey with his two-run homer in the seventh, his fourth. Logan Forsythe was aboard on a leadoff double.

Rockies 7, Marlins 4

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DENVER -- Randy Choate got away with a slider over the plate the first time. When he came back with the same pitch, Jason Giambi hit it out of the park.

Giambi's three-run homer to cap a four-run ninth inning, and the Colorado Rockies rallied for a 7-4 victory over the Florida Marlins on Monday night.

"I just missed a slider before, fouled it straight back," Giambi said. "I was thinking, 'God, I'd love to have that one again. And he ended up making that same mistake."

The Rockies, who had been 0-55 this season when trailing after eight innings, were down to their last out when Dexter Fowler blooped a double to shallow center off Leo Nunez (1-3). The ball dropped among three Marlins but Fowler was nearly caught in a run down when infielder Alfredo Amezaga threw back into second. However, third baseman Greg Dobbs, covering second, was off line with his throw to first. Fowler, who had been retreating on the baseline, shifted gears and cruised into second base.

It was another close call, though, for the Rockies.

"For a second, I thought, 'Here we go again.' It was starting to play out again, that frustrating 'Rock show,'" Giambi said. "We just haven't been able to push through, so it was exciting to finally push through."

Carlos Gonzalez followed Fowler's double with one of his own to right field to tie the game.

Troy Tulowitzki was walked intentionally and Randy Choate relieved Nunez, who had entered with two outs in the eighth. Giambi followed with a drive into the seats in right field for his 11th home run, setting off a celebration at home plate after the Rockies' first ninth-inning comeback.

"I hung a pitch," Choate said of the slider he threw Giambi, who had been hitless in four previous at-bats against Choate. "I've had success against him in my career. I don't think I did anything different. It's part of playing here. I'm not going to blame it on the air. I just hung it out over the plate. I think he was sitting on the pitch. He just took a pitch that was up and hit it out."

Matt Belisle picked up the victory with 1 2-3 innings of scoreless relief.

The game was a milestone for Florida manager Jack McKeon, even if it was a memorable loss, as he managed his 2,000th major league game. McKeon returned for his second stint as manager of the Marlins -- he led the team to a World Series title in 2003 -- after Edwin Rodriguez resigned on June 19.

"It's nice. It shows you've been around a long time, that's all," McKeon said of his managing milestone before the game.

And afterward? "It was one of those nights," he said.

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