ATLANTA — Georgia native Buster Posey drove in five runs with three hits, Barry Zito combined with two relievers on a five-hitter and the San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves, 9-0, on Tuesday night.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy made a pregame request for better pitching away from home with his staff's road ERA sitting at 4.85 — third-worst in the majors. Zito (8-6), who came in with a 5.19 road ERA, answered Bochy's call by allowing only three hits and one walk with four strikeouts in seven innings.
Posey, drafted by the Giants in 2008 out of Lee County High School, had run-scoring singles in the first and third innings. His third hit was a three-run double off Luis Avilan after Jair Jurrjens (3-3) departed in the fourth.
The first-place Giants, who have won four straight, began the night two games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
The Braves' only hits off Zito were a single by Martin Prado to lead off the fourth, an infield hit by Brian McCann to open the fifth and Freddie Freeman's double with two outs in the seventh. Zito ended the seventh on McCann's groundout to second base.
George Kontos took over for Zito to start the eighth and gave up a one-out double to Paul Janish. Clay Hensley allowed a single to Tyler Pastornicky in the ninth for Atlanta's fifth hit. Hensley hit Freeman with a pitch before ending the game on McCann's flyball to centerfield.
Jurrjens gave up eight runs on eight hits and three walks in 3 1/3 innings as the Braves' seven-game winning streak ended with a thud. Jurrjens had been 3-0 in four starts since his recall from Triple-A Gwinnett on June 22.
The Giants sent 10 batters to the plate in the fourth. Zito slapped a run-scoring single under third baseman Chipper Jones' glove. Ryan Theriot and Melky Cabrera also drove in runs with singles in the big inning.
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