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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ATLANTA (AP) – The Atlanta Braves actually have a winning
streak.
Chipper Jones hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth
inning, and the Braves rallied for the second day in a row to beat
the Colorado Rockies 6-4 on Wednesday.
|  | | Chipper Jones connects for a game-winning two-run homer in the eighth inning on Wednesday. |
John Smoltz returns Thursday, hoping to lead the Braves to their
first three-game winning streak of the season.
"Six weeks into the season, that's pretty sad," Jones said.
"But hopefully we can take advantage of it."
He said it's still too early to say the Braves (19-21) are
playing like a team that has made nine straight playoff
appearances. But a players-only meeting before Tuesday's game
appears to have sparked signs of life on the moribund team.
"Nobody here is used to this," Jones said. "We've been
walking around like zombies, not knowing what's going on.
Hopefully, we can make up the ground we've lost and play the rest
of the season like we have the last two days."
Smoltz hasn't pitched in the majors since the 1999 World Series.
He missed all of last season and the first 6½ weeks of this season
after elbow surgery.
"You want to keep it going," Smoltz said. "We've not had too
much to keep going this season."
With the score 4-4, Andruw Jones started the eighth by singling
to left against John Wasdin (2-1). Chipper Jones worked the count
to 2-0, then hit what appeared to be a changeup into the bleachers
in left center for his 12th homer.
"I didn't get all of it, but the ball was carrying out well to
center field," said Jones, who had three RBI in the game. "I
think it was a changeup. It was like a batting-practice fastball."
The Rockies squandered a four-run lead with another shaky
performance by their relievers, who are now 5-8 with a 5.28 ERA for
the season.
"We're trying to stop the bleeding," manager Buddy Bell said.
"We're struggling to find the right combination."
For the second day in a row, the game was decided in the eighth.
On Tuesday, rookie Marcus Giles hit his first career homer, a grand
slam against Mike Hampton, and the Braves won 5-3.
"I firmly believe we should be 2-0, not 0-2, on this road
trip," Colorado's Larry Walker said. "We've (given) them both
away."
Jose Cabrera (2-0) picked up the win, and John Rocker struck out
two in the ninth for his 11th save.
The Rockies built a 4-0 lead against Tom Glavine.
With two outs in the third, Mark Little and Neifi Perez singled,
then Larry Walker lined a 2-1 fastball into the right-field seats
for his 14th homer this season.
Colorado added another run in the fourth on Ben Petrick's
sacrifice fly. A baserunning blunder by Ron Gant cost the Rockies a
bigger inning -- he overran second and forced Todd Helton into a
rundown between third and home.
The Braves had their own gaffe on the basepaths in the fifth.
Rafael Furcal was caught in a rundown while trying to score, made
it back to third but inexplicably stepped off the bag when Petrick
faked a throw toward another runner, Dave Martinez.
Petrick simply reached over to tag out Furcal and still had time
to get Martinez, hung up between second and third, to complete the
double play.
Still, the Braves already had scored two runs that inning on
Martinez's pinch-hit double. In the sixth, they tied it up with two
more runs, knocking out Colorado starter Shawn Chacon.
"We had that baserunning blunder and you're sitting back
saying, 'Here we go again,"' Chipper Jones said. "But we came
right back the next inning and put two on the board."
Jones had a run-scoring double, moved to third on an infield
grounder and sprinted home with the tying run when B.J. Surhoff
chopped out to first.
Glavine allowed seven hits in five innings, his ERA rising to
4.53. He has given up 13 runs in 17 innings over his last three
starts.
Chacon surrendered three runs and six hits, coming out after
Andruw Jones led off the sixth with a double.
Helton didn't drive in a run, ending his club-record streak of
nine straight games with an RBI. His only hit was a double leading
off the fourth.
Game notes
The scoring on Colorado's double play in the fifth was
nearly long enough to be a phone number: 3-5-2-4-6-8. Center
fielder Mark Little came in to put the tag on Martinez near second.
... Giles did not start after his big night as Quilvio Veras
returned to the lineup at second base. Giles did come up as a
pinch-hitter in the seventh, striking out against Ron Villone. ... Atlanta catcher Javy Lopez is showing signs of breaking out of a
slump, going 5-for-7 in the last two games.
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OTHER GAMES
Baseball Scoreboard
Colorado Clubhouse
Atlanta Clubhouse
Smoltz set to end 568-day layoff for Braves
RECAPS
Baltimore 3
Detroit 2
Cleveland 4
Texas 3
Kansas City 9
Tampa Bay 5
Minnesota 4
Boston 3
Anaheim 3
Toronto 1
Oakland 4
NY Yankees 3
Seattle 7
Chi. White Sox 2
Atlanta 6
Colorado 4
Arizona 2
Cincinnati 1
Florida 4
San Francisco 3
Los Angeles 7
Montreal 2
Milwaukee 6
Philadelphia 1
St. Louis 3
Pittsburgh 0
San Diego 5
NY Mets 2
Houston 6
Chicago Cubs 2
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