Well," the Atlanta pitcher said, "I'd try to keep the ball down.

Perez, the former Atlanta pitcher who was out of baseball last year, allowed six hits and three runs in six-plus innings.

Bruce Sutter, the fourth Atlanta pitcher, got his 11th save, pitching the final two innings.

Some of the other Atlanta pitchers who are not designated to labor that night frequently wear their baseball headgear in a singular fashion.

Mounting a meager offense against those two Atlanta pitchers, he said, is acceptable, but "when you face lesser known guys, it's a little more frustrating."

Paul Assenmacher (1-2), the third Atlanta pitcher, got the win.

But the Atlanta pitcher was the real hitting star.

At the moment, however, the Atlanta pitcher is not the best pitcher in the National League.

On the other hand, Alexander, the Atlanta pitcher, has a 4-1 record and a 3.26 e.r.a. in six starts.

For the fourth time in the first four games, the Atlanta starting pitcher worked at least seven innings and allowed no more than two earned runs.