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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The Aussie kid didn't flinch.
|  | | Luke Prokopec scattered three hits over seven innings to get victory No. 4. |
Luke Prokopec overcame a shaky start and gave up just three hits
over seven innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Atlanta
Braves 3-1 Sunday.
The 23-year-old right-hander (4-1) gave up one run, struck out
four and walked two.
"That kid pitched a pretty good game," Atlanta manager Bobby
Cox said. "We saw him in spring training and he threw good against
us."
Mike Fetters pitched a hitless eighth and Jeff Shaw worked a
hitless ninth for his league-leading 13th save in 14 opportunities.
Coming off his first loss of the season May 8 against Florida,
Prokopec gave up a leadoff home run to Brian Jordan in the second
inning. He then retired B.J. Surhoff before walking Keith Lockhart
and giving up a single to Wes Helms.
That prompted a conference on the mound with pitching coach Jim
Colborn and the entire infield.
"I said, 'Forget about this protecting the lead stuff. You're
throwing the ball all over the place,'" Colborn told Prokopec.
"'Go for the jugular."'
Prokopec immediately settled down and went on to retire 17 of
the next 19 batters -- allowing only one hit -- before coming out.
"I got a little soft and tentative and tried to make the
perfect pitches," he said. "Then I started concentrating more on
my breathing and making the pitch instead of trying to throw the
ball as hard as I can."
Facing Atlanta for the first time in his career, Prokopec
outdueled Greg Maddux (3-4).
"Back in Australia I knew who Maddux is," Prokopec said. "To
go head-to-head with him and get a win, that's great."
Los Angeles took a lead 3-0 in the first inning on a two-run
opposite field single by Eric Karros and a sacrifice fly by Adrian
Beltre, his first RBI of the season.
"Maddux tries to get that pitch on the corner and it's about
5 inches off the corner," said Karros, who had two strikes.
Beltre played his second game since returning from a botched
appendectomy. He went 0-for-3.
Atlanta scored its lone run on Jordan's fourth homer of the
season on a 2-2 pitch in the second.
"I was hoping the home run would make that kid a little
nervous, but he had a little more spunk than I thought," Jordan
said. "He threw a good game. He went out there and did what he was
supposed to do -- throw strikes and get guys to chase pitches."
Maddux yielded three runs on seven hits in seven innings. He
struck out seven and walked three. In his previous start, San Diego
tagged him for 12 hits in a 7-1 loss.
"I put us in a hole early, and we couldn't dig ourselves out of
it," Maddux said.
The Braves have not done much to back Maddux. In four of his
last five starts, Atlanta has scored exactly one run per game.
"I never really worried about it. I'm always trying to just
worry about pitching," he said, "and run support has nothing to
do with pitching. I mean, I've never really worried about it, and
hopefully, I never will."
Game notes
Shaw has converted all 10 save opportunities at Dodger
Stadium, and has retired the last 17 batters he's faced while not
allowing a run in his last nine appearances. ... Prokopec called
home to Australia on Saturday with Mother's Day wishes since Los
Angeles is a day behind his home country. He said his family got up
at 5 a.m. to listen to the game over the Internet before his father
went off to his teaching job. ... The Dodgers have won six of their
last seven series. ... Los Angeles' Shawn Green drew intentional
walks in his first two at-bats against Maddux before singling in
the fifth to improve to 8-for-13 lifetime against the right-hander.
... Karros was hitting .175 lifetime against Maddux coming in. ...
Atlanta INF Quilvio Veras, who sprained his left index finger
sliding headfirst into third base Friday, missed his second
straight game. Cox said Veras could return Tuesday. ... Prokopec
was originally signed as an outfielder in 1995 before being
converted to a pitcher two years later at Class-A Savannah.
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Smoltz will make first start since '99 on Thursday
RECAPS
Boston 5
Oakland 4
Tampa Bay 7
Cleveland 0
Anaheim 14
Detroit 2
Baltimore 10
NY Yankees 5
Seattle 7
Toronto 5
Chi. White Sox 6
Texas 3
Minnesota 7
Kansas City 3
Milwaukee 4
Pittsburgh 1
St. Louis 13
Chicago Cubs 4
Montreal 14
Colorado 10
San Francisco 6
NY Mets 3
Los Angeles 3
Atlanta 1
Arizona 6
Philadelphia 1
Florida 10
San Diego 4
Houston 4
Cincinnati 3
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