Braves’ Lopez Strikes Back

Hit in the helmet earlier in the game, Atlanta’s Javy Lopez came back with another winning hit in Beantown.

Lopez, unhurt by Pat Rapp’s pitch in the seventh inning, delivered his run-scoring single in the 10th off Jim Corsi to lead the Braves over the Boston Red Sox, 3-2, Sunday.

Lopez fouled off a pair of pitches from Corsi before singling up the middle on a 2-2 pitch.

“After I got two strikes on me, I was looking for something off-speed,” Lopez said. “On a fastball in I can adjust, but not on an off-speed pitch. He hung it.”

On Saturday, Lopez hit closer Tom Gordon’s curveball for a two-run double that gave the Braves a 6-5 victory. The hit snapped Gordon’s major league record of converting 54 consecutive save opportunities.

Sunday, Keith Lockhart drove in two runs for the Braves, who won the final two games of the weekend series after losing to Pedro Martinez on Friday night. The finale drew a crowd of 32,184 at Fenway Park.

It was Atlanta’s 11th win in its last at-bat this season and its 21st comeback win of the year.

“We lost the first, so we’re happy as heck to get the last two,” Manager Bobby Cox said. “They’re a good team. Any time you win two of three you’ve got to be tickled by it.”

In the first year of interleague play two years ago, Atlanta swept the Red Sox in Fenway Park.

Walt Weiss opened the 10th with a single off Mark Portugal (3-4) and moved up on a sacrifice by Bret Boone. Chipper Jones was walked intentionally and, with two outs, Lopez singled.

In the seventh, Lopez waved away a trainer after being hit by Rapp and went to first base without incident.

Atlanta starter Kevin Millwood held Boston hitless until John Valentin singled to begin the seventh. Troy O’Leary hit a game-tying homer later in the inning.

Rudy Seanez (4-0) pitched one inning for the win. John Rocker struck out the side in the 10th for his 12th save in 15 chances.

It was only the eighth loss for Boston in its last 29 games.

“I guess that’s the way the cookie crumbles,” Boston’s Jason Varitek said. “Javy came up with two clutch hits. Corsi just kept making good pitch after good pitch. The one mistake, he hit.”

Millwood gave up only two hits in eight innings. The Red Sox had a few hard-hit balls against him in the early innings, but Atlanta fielders made the plays.