Atlanta, GA – B.J. Upton singled home pinch-runner Paul Janish with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins at Turner Field.
For the third consecutive inning, Atlanta put two men on base. Chris Johnson hit a one-out single off Ryan Webb (1-5) in the 11th, and after Dan Uggla drew a two-out walk, Upton sent the NL East-leading Braves to their sixth straight victory with a base hit to center field.
"I've been working hard all year," said Upton. "Finally starting to see some consistent results."
Upton, along with Johnson, finished with four hits, including a two-run homer.
Mike Minor started for the Braves and allowed four runs on five hits over seven frames. Luis Ayala (1-1) earned the win after getting Ed Lucas to ground into an inning-ending double play in the top of the 11th.
Justin Ruggiano clubbed a two-run homer and Giancarlo Stanton added a solo shot for Miami, which has dropped six in a row. Marlins starter Jacob Turner gave up three runs -- two earned -- on four hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings.
"Anytime you lose an extra innings game, it stings a little bit more," said Turner. "But we just gotta keep grinding and come back here tomorrow and try to get this thing figured out."
The Braves twice battled back to tie the game.
Brian McCann walked to begin the sixth and scored on Upton's one-out shot to center field that erased a 3-1 deficit.
Miami regained the lead in the next inning, as Ruggiano scored on a Logan Morrison single.
"I think mistakes tend to cost you," said Ruggiano. "You can't dwell on it, you just have to turn the page. We need to come back tomorrow and act as if we've been winning."
Atlanta, however, countered with a two-out rally. Johnson kept the seventh alive with a double and McCann drove him in with a single. The Braves wound up leaving the bases loaded for the second time in three innings.
The Marlins jumped out to an early lead via Ruggiano's home run to right field, but Atlanta got a run back in the bottom of the first on a Freddie Freeman sacrifice fly.
Stanton's blast to right put the Marlins up by two runs in the fourth.
Game Notes
The Braves finished August with a 20-7 record. It's their first 20-win month since May 2010 ... Turner remains winless in 13 career road starts.
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