ATLANTA -- Dan Uggla made his first home run of this season a memorable one, hitting a two-run shot off Dickey in a four-run third inning that propelled the Braves to a 14-6 win on Wednesday afternoon.
With rain falling throughout most of the first five innings, it was a not a pretty afternoon for the pitchers. Braves starter Jair Jurrjens exited before recording an out in the fifth inning, and Dickey found great difficulty controlling his knuckleball before making his own early exit.
Uggla produced the afternoon's greatest surprise when he hit a first-pitch knuckleball into the left-field seats in the decisive third inning. The two-run shot stands as the only hit he has recorded in 24 career at-bats against Dickey.
Less than 24 hours earlier, Uggla had drawn a walk to begin the five-run second inning that chased Santana and led the Braves to their first win in five opportunities against the Mets this year. The blue-collar second baseman had recorded just one hit and one walk in 22 previous plate appearances against the former Cy Young Award winner.
Uggla's surprising home run accounted for one of the three surrendered by Dickey, who was charged with eight earned runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. Juan Francisco got the Braves rolling with a two-run second-inning shot that gave him home runs in consecutive at-bats dating back to Tuesday night.
Riding the momentum of Tuesday's two-hit performance, Freddie Freeman further distanced himself from his early-season struggles with an opposite-field two-run home run that chased Dickey in the fifth inning.
The Braves can thank their offense for the club having won seven of eight games since beginning the season with four straight losses. They have scored at least six runs in six of the past eight games.
Having gained a three-run advantage after the third inning, Jurrjens was visibly disappointed when he was removed after allowing three straight hits to open the fifth inning. He allowed four earned runs and seven hits, while needing 89 pitches to record 12 outs.
Box Score
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_04_18_nynmlb_atlmlb_1&mode=box&c_id=atl
Source: MLB.com