NATIONAL LEAGUE Braves back over .500 after beating champs

Atlanta ruffled Florida Marlins pitcher Josh Beckett for a 4-1 win.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA -- Chipper Jones and the Atlanta Braves are slowing down the Florida Marlins.
Jones homered for the second straight night, and Russ Ortiz outpitched Josh Beckett to lead the Braves over the World Series champions 4-1 Saturday night.
Jesse Garcia added his first homer in more than four years, helping Atlanta move back over .500 at 6-5.
Ortiz (1-2) gave up one run and six hits in 62/3 innings, lowering his ERA from 6.75 to 4.50.
John Smoltz, who followed Kevin Gryboski and Chris Reitsma out of the bullpen, got three straight outs for his third save, completing a six-hitter.
Beckett (1-1) entered with a 0.64 ERA that soared to 2.21. His fastball was recorded at as much as 102 mph and he struck out seven, but he allowed four runs and eight hits in 61/3 innings.
FLORIDAATLANTA
abrhbiabrhbi
Pierre cf4000DeRosa 3b3110
LCstillo 2b4000MGiles 2b4011
Cbrera rf4010CJones lf4122
Lowell 3b4010Lroche 1b4000
Choi 1b3120AJones cf3000
Nunez lf3010JEstda c4000
RCstro c3010Mrrero rf3000
AGnzlz ss3000Ritsma p0000
Beckett p2000Smoltz p0000
Perisho p0000JGarca ss3111
LHarrs ph1000RuOrtiz p2020
CFox p0000Grybsk p0000
DWise rf1110
Totals31160Totals31484
Florida000000100--1
Atlanta20000020x--4
DP--Florida 1, Atlanta 1. LOB--Florida 3, Atlanta 5. 2B--Lowell (4), DeRosa (2). 3B--DWise (2). HR--CJones (3), JGarcia (1). SB--Choi (1).
IPHRERBBSO
Florida
Beckett L,1-16 1-384427
Perisho2-300000
CFox100000
Atlanta
RuOrtiz W,1-26 2-361107
Gryboski1-300000
Reitsma100000
Smoltz S,3100001
WP--Gryboski. Umpires--Home, Bill Miller; First, Chris Guccione; Second, Ron Kulpa; Third, Brian Gorman. T--2:34. A--31,401.
Astros 14, Brewers 5
HOUSTON -- Richard Hidalgo hit a pair of two-run doubles and drove in four runs, as Houston won for the sixth time in seven games.
Craig Biggio and Mike Lamb hit three-run homers for the Astros. Jeff Bagwell had a solo shot, tying Hidalgo for the team lead with four homers.
Biggio's first-inning double was his 525th, tying him with Ted Williams for 30th on the career list, one behind Dave Parker.
Brandon Backe (1-0) pitched 12/3 innings to win in relief of starter Brandon Duckworth, who was staked to a 4-1 lead and left after four innings ahead 7-3.
Matt Kinney (0-2) gave up seven runs, five hits and five walks in three innings, his ERA rising to 9.42.
MILWAUKEEHOUSTON
abrhbiabrhbi
Pdsdnk cf4222Biggio cf5223
Hall ss4000Lidge p0000
KGintr 2b4111JVzcno 2b1000
Jenkins lf4010AEvrtt ss5220
Ovrbay 1b4120Bgwell 1b2311
Helms 3b2000JKent 2b3101
Drngtn 3b2010Dotel p0000
BClark rf3112Brkmn lf3100
GBnntt c4000Hidalgo rf4124
Kinney p1000Lamb 3b5223
Kschnk p1000Asmus c5120
AHrndz p0000Dckwrt p0000
Grieve ph1000Ensbrg ph0100
Burba p0000Backe p1000
LVzcno p0000Gallo p0000
Cunsell 3b0000Hrvlle p0000
OPlmro cf1000
Totals34585Totals35141112
Milwaukee120001010--5
Houston40031204x--14
E--Hall (2), Helms (2), Durrington (2), GBennett (1). DP--Milwaukee 1, Houston 1. LOB--Milwaukee 3, Houston 8. 2B--Overbay (3), Biggio (8), Hidalgo 2 (5), Lamb (1), Ausmus (1). 3B--Jenkins (3). HR--Podsednik 2 (3), KGinter (2), BClark (3), Biggio (2), Bagwell (4), Lamb (1). CS--Bagwell (1), Lamb (1). SF--JKent.
IPHRERBBSO
Milwaukee
Kinney L,0-2357651
Kieschnick100021
AHernandez233212
Burba100000
LVizcaino2-334120
Durrington1-300000
Houston
Duckworth443301
Backe W,1-01 2-311101
Gallo1-310000
Harville100011
Lidge111101
Dotel110001
Kinney pitched to 3 batters in the 4th, Gallo pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. WP--Kinney, AHernandez, Dotel. PB--GBennett. Umpires--Home, Alfonso Marquez; First, Rick Reed; Second, Ed Rapuano; Third, Ted Barrett. T--3:16. A--40,030.
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