Cahill aims for first win in rubber match with Phils
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(SportsNetwork.com) - Trevor Cahill takes another shot at his first win with the Atlanta Braves when they complete their three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Cahill has been awful in his two starts, losing both, while pitching to a 9.95 ERA. The New York Mets got to him on Tuesday, as they managed four runs (3 earned) and five hits in only four innings. He had given up four runs in just 2 1/3 innings in his first start with the Braves.
"Your goal every time out there is to put up a quality start," Cahill said. "I was a little bit better than last time, but at the same time, you'd like to at least get through six (innings). Through the first four, I had the pitch count and I was going well enough that I was thinking I could go past that. But then I kind of let things unravel there."
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The 27-year-old righty has faced the Phillies six times (4 starts) and is 2-3 against them with a 3.60 ERA.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, will turn to righty Jerome Williams, who has been a pleasant surprise, going 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA. Williams earned his first win of the year on Tuesday against Miami, as he allowed three runs (2 earned) and eight hits in six innings.
Williams is just 1-3 lifetime versus the Braves with a 5.26 ERA in eight games (7 starts).
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Atlanta snapped a four-game losing streak and evened this series at a game apiece on Saturday, as Andrelton Simmons highlighted a three-run seventh inning with a solo home run and the Braves pulled out a 5-2 win.
A.J. Pierzynski and Kelly Johnson padded the lead with RBI singles in the eighth inning, and Jason Grilli tossed a 1-2-3 ninth for his seventh save.
"I liked the way we battled," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Our guys didn't mail it in."
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Ryan Howard's second homer of the season -- a two-run shot to center in the fourth inning -- was all Philly could muster off Atlanta starter Shelby Miller (3-0), who went six strong innings, allowing just two runs on three hits.
The Braves were 11-8 versus the Phillies last season, going 8-2 in Philadelphia.