video thumbnail

ATL@SEA: McCann goes 4-for-5 with two RBIs

SEATTLE -- Brian McCann already seems positioned to be elected to serve as the National League's starting catcher at this year's All-Star Game. But if he needs a few more votes before the balloting concludes Thursday night, there's a good chance he could find a few more in the Seattle area.

Playing in Seattle for the first time in his career, McCann has spent the first two games of this week's series proving why he is widely considered the game's top offensive catcher. At the same time, the five-time All-Star catcher has served as a true leader behind the plate.

On the way to matching a career-high four hits during the 5-4 win the Braves claimed over the Mariners at Safeco Field Tuesday night, McCann produced the decisive two-out, two-run single in the seventh that rewarded Tommy Hanson's ability to shake off some early rust and display some of his normal composure.

"Things are going well," McCann said. "I'm seeing the ball well. I'm getting good pitches to hit and I'm working counts. I'm being patient. When I have those things going, I feel confident, I can get hits."

With a ninth-inning single, McCann notched a career-high four hits for the seventh time. He has accounted for seven of the 13 hits the Braves have tallied while winning the first two games of this series and batted .386 with 10 homers dating to his previous four-hit game on May 28.

McCann's decisive seventh-inning single gave the Braves a necessary two-run cushion and provided a win for Hanson, who allowed three earned runs and lasted six innings while pitching for the first time since the Braves put him on the disabled list earlier this month with right shoulder tendinitis.

"I thought [McCann] did a terrific job of handling Tommy today," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Tommy just hung in there for six innings. We were able to get the lead and hold it. For him not to pitch as sharp as we've seen him and get the 'W' was outstanding."

Pitching for the first time since recording a career-high 14 strikeouts against the Astros on June 12, Hanson made a mistake by thinking he could simply sneak a first-pitch fastball past Ichiro Suzuki, but Ichiro drilled the delivery over the right-field wall to account for his first homer of the season.

Jack Cust's RBI double accounted for the only run the Mariners scored in a potentially disastrous second inning that began with three hits in a span of four at-bats. Cust then took advantage of a hanging changeup when he hit a fourth-inning solo homer that provided a three-run advantage to Michael Pineda, who allowed just one hit -- McCann's fourth-inning single -- through the first four innings.

The Braves began reducing their early three-run deficit against Pineda in the fifth and sixth innings. But they did not deliver their crushing blow until after the 6-foot-7, 260-pound right-hander walked three of the four batters he faced in the seventh inning.

Jordan Schafer greeted Aaron Laffey with a game-tying single to right that gave him just his fifth hit in 35 at-bats against left-handed pitchers. After a Jason Heyward strikeout, McCann shot his single through the right side of the infield.

"That's something we haven't done a lot of this year, come back from a three-run deficit against a pitcher like that," McCann said. "We battled and came up with some big hits."

McCann also provided a key contribution in the bottom half of the inning when he alertly made a strong pinpoint throw to second base to retire Adam Kennedy on a double-steal attempt. With first base open, the Braves took advantage of the opportunity to have left-handed reliever George Sherrill walk switch-hitting first baseman Justin Smoak.

Still, the Mariners' left-handed-hitting second baseman Dustin Ackley followed with an RBI single before Scott Proctor entered and ended the inning with a strikeout of catcher Chris Gimenez, who replaced Miguel Olivo (hamstring cramps) but was unable to swing because of a strained oblique he suffered in the fifth.

The Braves were able to rest Scott Linebrink and Eric O'Flaherty, who had both pitched each of the previous three days.

Jonny Venters notched a couple loud outs, including one that Heyward made crashing into the right-center-field wall, during a scoreless eighth that set the stage for Craig Kimbrel's 22nd save and allowed Hanson to notch his ninth win.

Hanson, whose 2.62 ERA ranks fourth in the NL, started to feel more relaxed in the third inning and retired the final seven batters he faced. More important, he did not have any problems with his shoulder.

"It felt good," Hanson said. "I didn't feel anything. Hopefully I'll come in tomorrow and it will feel the same way. Once I was out there, I didn't feel anything. My body and arm, everything felt really good."

Dan Uggla began the Braves' comeback with a fifth-inning homer. The solo shot over the left-center-field was the struggling second baseman's 12th of the season and third in his past six games.

Pineda retired the next four batters he faced before Heyward sent a two-out, sixth-inning liner whistling past the mound on its way to center. After McCann followed with a single to put runners at the corners, first baseman Smoak bobbled Chipper Jones' routine grounder and allowed Heyward to score easily.

"We hung around, and you've got to give a lot of credit to Tommy," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.