ST. LOUIS(AP) -- Brian McCann knew he got his pitch. What he
didn't know was how well he hit it.

Brian McCann hit a two-run double in the top of the ninth off
closer Ryan Franklin and the Atlanta Braves held on to beat the
St. Louis Cardinals 7-6 on Saturday.

"I put together a good at-bat there in the ninth," McCann said.
"I was just trying to get a pitch up in the zone and I hit it a
little better and it reached the wall."

Franklin (2-3) blew his second straight save - and fourth of the
season - as the Cardinals dropped two in a row for the first
time since July 25-26 when they lost consecutive games to
Philadelphia.

Mike Gonzalez (4-4) allowed two runs, one earned in the eighth
which gave the Cardinals a 6-5 lead.

Rafael Soriano closed out the game for Atlanta for his 24th save
in 28 chances.

After the game, Braves manager Bobby Cox was smoking a victory
cigar.

"That's a good one, you bet," Cox said. "You can never get down.
Franklin's done an unbelievable job but like I tell my guys,
anything can happen."

The Cardinals rallied to take the lead in the eighth before
Franklin fell apart in the ninth, allowing three hits and a
walk. Nate McClouth led off with a double and Martin Prado
singled him to third before Chipper Jones walked to load the
bases.

"I'm not one to lean on excuses," Franklin said. "I just would
rather say I didn't get it done."

McCann followed with a double to center that left runners on
second and third with no outs, but Franklin escaped further
damage with two strikeouts and a pop out.

The Cardinals took the lead in the eighth on a run-scoring
single by Yadier Molina and an RBI groundout by Brendan Ryan.

Atlanta starter Tim Hudson allowed four runs and 10 hits in
five-plus innings. He walked two and struck out one. His biggest
contribution was his first career home run, a two-run shot in
the second that gave the Braves a 3-2 lead.

"Obviously its been a while since I've trotted around the bases
like that," Hudson said. "I was really scared I was going to go
my whole career without hitting one but it was exciting. It felt
as good or better than any shutout I've thrown."

Kyle Lohse made his first start since August 21 after returning
from his second stint on the disabled list with a groin strain.
He allowed four runs in 3 1-3 innings pitched, his third
shortest start of the year.

"PG-not good." Lohse said of his outing. "I just couldn't get
the ball down, it seemed like it was a constant battle. There's
no excuse for it, it just wasn't happening."

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was ejected by home plate umpire
Greg Gibson for arguing balls and strikes after the sixth
inning. It was La Russa's first ejection of the season.

"I feel like when the tape is reviewed," La Russa said. "They'll
see there were some close calls that we had a reason to
question. You still play the game. Umpires don't beat you."

NOTES: The Cardinals Triple-A affiliate Memphis completed a
three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers Triple-A affiliate
Albuquerque last night to advance to the Pacific Coast League
championship. ... Cardinals pitcher John Smoltz will miss his
next scheduled start Monday against Florida with shoulder
tendinits and will be replaced by Todd Wellemeyer (7-9) whose
last start was July 26th.