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Cox ties ejection record as Braves lose again

Tigers' Verlander stifles Atlanta for fourth straight victory

Image: CoxAP
Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox argues with home plate umpire Chad Fairchild on Saturday. Cox was ejected, tying the record for ejections set by John McGraw.

Davies slipped when fielding a short grounder hit by Magglio Ordonez in the sixth inning. He left after trainer Jeff Porter came to the mound with one out in the seventh.

“It’s just a cramp,” Davies said, adding he expected to make his next start. “It started cramping up in the fifth inning. ... I didn’t want to push it.”

Davies threw 36 pitches in the second inning. He walked two batters and hit Ivan Rodriguez with a pitch. Sean Casey’s single, the only hit of the inning, drove in Guillen. Davies struck out Curtis Granderson on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Guillen led off the fourth with his 12th homer to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead. Davies then retired nine of the next 10 batters.

Cox juggled the top of his batting order. Willie Harris hit leadoff for only the second time this season, while Kelly Johnson moved down one spot. Slumping Andruw Jones hit seventh for the first time this season and was 0-for-2 with two walks, dropping his batting average to .198.

The shuffled lineup didn’t stop one of Atlanta’s stars from criticizing one of its top pitchers. Chipper Jones said he felt pressured by right-hander John Smoltz to return from a groin injury.

After Friday night’s 5-0 loss to the Tigers, Smoltz said: “You can’t worry about who’s in the lineup and who isn’t. You can’t worry about that stuff anymore.”

Smoltz didn’t identify Jones as a player not in the lineup, but after Saturday’s game Jones said he got the message.

“I’d be stupid if I didn’t take it the same way,” Jones said, adding he planned to “play the rest of the games this year and do whatever I can. Somebody I know better not miss a start.”

Smoltz, asked Saturday if he was referring to Jones, said: “I have no comment. I’m not even going to address that.”

Notes: Guillen had two hits, extending his hitting streak to 10 games. ... Chipper Jones has 370 career homers, one behind Dale Murphy’s Atlanta record. ... Jones’ homer was the seventh allowed by Verlander but the first in his four starts in June.

© 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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