ATLANTA (AP) -- Jason Perry filled in quite nicely for Jeff Francoeur.

Perry hit a run-scoring triple in his first major league at-bat, Tim Hudson gave up only one run in seven innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros 6-2 on Friday night to end a five-game losing streak.

The Braves, who hadn’t led a game in a week, won hours after the demotion of the popular Francoeur, a move general manager Frank Wren called the most difficult of his career. Wren plans to recall the slumping outfielder after the All-Star break.

Perry, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Richmond, drove in Brian McCann from first base with a triple to the right-field wall in the second inning.

Perry’s hit followed Mark Kotsay’s run-scoring fly to center field that gave the Braves a 1-0 lead—their first in 47 innings, since the ninth inning of a 4-0 win at Toronto last Friday.

Kelly Johnson added a two-run homer as the Braves recovered from being swept by Philadelphia in a three-game home series for the second time this season.

Hudson (9-6) gave up four hits and one run, with three walks and six strikeouts. Mike Gonzalez pitched a perfect ninth for Atlanta.

McCann drove in Chipper Jones with a third-inning single for a 3-0 lead.

Lance Berkman drove in Darin Erstad with a single to left in the sixth, but Johnson answered with his two-run homer off Brian Moehler (4-4) in the bottom of the inning.

Moehler gave up six hits and five runs in six innings.

Jones’ second hit, a single off Wesley Wright in the seventh,

drove in Gregor Blanco, who was hit by a pitch from Wright to lead off the inning.

Erstad led off the eighth with a single off Blaine Boyer and scored on a groundout by Miguel Tejada.

Perry is the first Atlanta player to hit a triple in his first major league at-bat, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He’s the first Braves player to have a triple for his first hit since Martin Prado on April 23, 2006.

Notes: Francoeur was hitting only .234 this season. ... Postgame fireworks helped draw a sellout crowd of 48,045, the largest of the year at Turner Field. ... RHP Chris Sampson will make his first start since May 25 on Saturday night. RHP Roy Oswalt (strained left hip) will a skip a turn in the rotation. ... Hudson made his 300^th appearance. He’s 7-1 in nine home starts.