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Seven-run sixth leads Braves past Pirates

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ATLANTA (AP) – Rookie Jeff Francoeur homered and drove in four runs, and the Atlanta Braves used a seven-run sixth inning to rally past the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-6 Saturday night, their fifth straight victory. Francoeur’s two-run double started the scoring in the sixth and gave the Braves their first lead at 4-3. Johnny Estrada and Kelly Johnson followed with RBI doubles to chase Mark Redman (5-11) with none out.

Pittsburgh manager Lloyd McClendon brought in Brian Meadows, who allowed pinch-hitter Wilson Betemit’s single, Rafael Furcal’s sacrifice fly, Marcus Giles’ RBI triple and Chipper Jones’ sacrifice fly to end the scoring and make it 9-3.

The Braves, who increased their NL East lead to five games over Washington and Florida, hadn’t scored so many runs in an inning since Aug. 22, 2004.

Francoeur, an Atlanta native who grew up in nearby Lilburn, hit his sixth homer, a two-run shot, to make it 3-2 in the fourth.

Braves reliever Dan Kolb was booed in he eighth after he relieved Blaine Boyer and allowed Matt Lawton’s RBI single, Jason Bay’s RBI single and Freddy Sanchez’s RBI groundout to make it 9-6.

Rookie Kyle Davies (5-3) earned the win after being recalled from Triple-A Richmond earlier in the day. The 21-year-old right-hander, who allowed two hits, three runs, three walks and a career-high eight strikeouts, trailed 3-0 after Bay hit his 19th homer in the first.

Redman lost his sixth straight on the road. Falling to 0-6 with a 6.62 ERA in his last nine starts away from Pittsburgh, the left-hander allowed seven runs, 10 hits, three walks and struck out three.

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