Mets  5    Braves  1

Recap: Atlanta vs. NY Mets

Sports Network | July 18, 2009

Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Johan Santana tossed seven shutout innings, and the New York Mets earned their first win of MLB's second half, 5-1, over the Atlanta Braves.

Santana (11-7) held the Braves to five hits, walked two and struck out five. It was the standout lefty's second strong outing having fired seven shutout frames in a win over Cincinnati prior to the break. The victory marked the first of his career versus Atlanta (1-4).

It was New York's fourth win in the last 12 games. Santana has guided the club to two of those triumphs. The Mets were coming off an 11-0 shellacking by the Braves on Friday and had dropped the first two of this four-game set.

Angel Pagan had three hits and an RBI, while Jeff Francoeur added a pair of hits and drove in one.

Kenshin Kawakami (5-7) pitched well over 6 2/3 innings but took the loss. The Japanese right-hander gave up two runs on five hits and four walks with three strikeouts. He has held the opposition to two runs or less in five of his past six starts, but has just two wins to show for it.

Chipper Jones provided the lone offensive strike with a solo homer for Atlanta, which had won six of eight entering play.