BRAVES 11, PIRATES 1: Batting slump broken, and Vazquez wins first

Pittsburgh --- Braves hitting coach Terry Pendleton turned to desperate measures late Sunday morning, threatening to shave the heads of right fielder Jeff Francoeur and pitcher Jair Jurrjens if the Braves got shut out again by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Martin Prado and David Ross hit three-run homers, and Javier Vazquez pitched six scoreless innings for his first win for the Braves , who evened their record at 6-6 before traveling to Washington for a three-game series against the skidding Nationals starting Monday.

"It feels good," said Vazquez, who struck out eight and allowed five hits with one walk. "We've got six games left on this road trip, and hopefully we can win them all. If not, then most of them."

Rookie Jordan Schafer ended a 1-for-21 slump with three hits including a bunt single, and Francoeur added two hits and three RBIs, including a two-run single in the first inning to start the scoring.

"We needed something like this, to get some momentum going into Washington," said Francoeur, who laughed and added, "Jurrjens gave me a big hug when I came to the dugout after that [first] hit."

After mustering just one extra-base hit and 10 hits total while being outscored 13-0 in the first two games of the series, the Braves erupted for seven extra-base hits among their 15 hits in Sunday's finale, including two extra-base hits apiece by backup second baseman Prado and backup catcher Ross.

Francoeur also hit an RBI double in the four-run seventh when the Braves pushed the lead to 10-0, the same score by which the Pirates had beaten them a day before.

"I had good command of all my pitches," Vazquez said after throwing 71 strikes in 98 pitches. "The guys scored a lot of runs, which always makes it easier. It gives the starting pitcher room for error. It sucks that I didn't pitch more than six innings, but I've got to do my part by throwing fewer pitches."

Francoeur called Prado's three-run homer in the fourth inning off Pirates starter Zach Duke "the one that just broke their backs."

Duke (1-2) entered with the National League's second-lowest ERA (0.59) and sixth-lowest opponents' average (.173), after allowing nine hits and three runs (one earned) in 15 1/3 innings in his previous two starts.

"I can't remember the last long one we hit," said manager Bobby Cox, whose Braves had gone four games without a home run before Prado hit one to the deepest part of the ballpark, just to the left of the 410 (feet) sign in left-center field.

"For me, I just want to contribute when I have the opportunity to help the team," Prado said. "Don't worry about the losing streak. Start a winning streak."

Chipper Jones returned to the lineup and went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored after missing four games with a bruised left thumb. Shortstop Yunel Escobar is expected to play today after missing the entire Pittsburgh series with a strained abdominal muscle.