Cox not finished yet after Braves win NL wild card

Cox also had 158 regular-season ejections, easily surpassing McGraw (117) for the most among managers. He joked he was trying for No. 159 when watching on TV as the Giants beat the Padres in San Francisco.

“I was arguing with the umpire on every pitch,” Cox said. “It could have been a 3,000-mile ejection.”

Hudson (17-9) allowed four runs and two hits in seven innings against the NL East champions, giving up two-run homers by John Mayberry in the third and Jayson Werth in the seventh.

Wagner, who like Cox is retiring after the season, earned his 37th save in 44 chances.

“It’s a relief because you get a tomorrow,” Wagner said. “We knew we had to win the game. We knew what was at stake.”

Omar Infante and embattled infielder Brooks Conrad each had two hits and drove in two runs for Atlanta, and Lee homered.

“The bats came alive, which was great to see,” Cox said. “We had much better hitting than we’ve had lately.”

The Phillies, hoping for a successful warmup before their postseason run and potentially a third straight World Series appearance, had two injury scares.

Catcher Carlos Ruiz left after he was hit by a pitch on his left elbow in the third inning, though X-rays were negative. Left-hander J.C. Romero walked slowly off the field with left lower back soreness following a pitch in the sixth. He said he already had soreness and expects to be available for the playoffs.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel used his starting lineup.

“We thought we’d give our best to the Braves,” he said. “We came back and we had a chance.”

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