PITTSBURGH — Tim Hudson showed again that a well-pitched game is the easiest and best way to end an extended streak. Or, on this day, a number of streaks.

Hudson limited Pittsburgh to two hits and an unearned run over seven innings and the Atlanta Braves halted their seven-game road losing slide with an 8-1 victory that concluded Monday’s doubleheader.

In the opener, Freddy Sanchez hit a three-run double and Zach Duke pitched six shutout innings as the Pirates won 5-0 for their sixth consecutive win.

With Mark Kotsay and Brian McCann driving in three runs each, Atlanta avoided its first four-game sweep by Pittsburgh since Sept. 1-3, 1978. The Pirates’ winning streak was their longest since they won 10 straight from June 25-July 5, 2004.

‘‘We were able to get a nice lead and I was able to relax,’’ Hudson said after winning his third in a row, all with dominating outings. ‘‘I did a pretty good job of changing speeds off my fastball.