PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Atlanta Braves have traded pitching for

power, yet it hasn't made much difference with the postseason less

than a month away. They're still the team to beat in the National

League.

Andruw Jones, Vinny Castilla and Javy Lopez homered and the

majors' most proficient offense roughed up Pittsburgh's pitching

staff for the second straight day, leading the Braves to a 10-4

victory Sunday.

The Braves can complete a sixth 100-win season under manager

Bobby Cox by going 13-13 in September. Only the Yankees' Joe

McCarthy has managed six 100-victory seasons with the same team.

Shane Reynolds (11-7), as he often does, benefited from the

generous offensive support while allowing four runs and nine hits

over 7 1-3 innings. Reynolds has a 5.34 ERA, but the Braves have

averaged 6.6 runs in his 25 starts.

"When you've got Vinny Castilla hitting eighth like they did

the other night, you know you've got something pretty good going on

there," Pittsburgh's Reggie Sanders said. "They just make it

happen. They pound you, pound you, pound you. They just play very

good baseball. They're aggressive, they're smart and they seem to

capitalize on every situation."

Jones hit a three-run homer down the left-field line in the

first to give the Braves a 3-0 lead against Jeff D'Amico (8-13),

who gave up seven runs and 10 hits in three-plus innings. Jones'

33rd homer was his second in as many days.

Castilla led off the second with his 22nd homer and Lopez hit

his career-high 35th and fifth in as many games against the Pirates

this season in the fourth, a three-run shot off Mike Lincoln. Jones

has four homers against Pittsburgh this season and is 6-for-12 with

two homers in his career against D'Amico.

Lopez wanted to get his career-best 35th out of the way so, he

said, "Whatever comes the rest of the way is just extra."

Cox hasn't spent a lot of time thinking about his team's

transition this season from being baseball's best pitching team,

with its onetime stable of Cy Young Award winners, to its best

offensive team.

"But it's a comforting feeling knowing you can get back into a

game with one swing of the bat," he said.

The Braves had another breakout game Sunday even with Gary

Sheffield and his 34 homers on the bench.

"When you have him, it's really comforting," Cox said.

Both three-run homers were set up the same way, with Rafael

Furcal and Marcus Giles leading off innings with back-to-back

singles. Giles had eight hits in the three-game series against the

Pirates, only days after they traded brother Brian Giles to the

Padres. Furcal reached base four times Sunday and nine times in the

series.

The Braves hit six homers while outscoring the Pirates 23-10 on

Saturday and Sunday and now have 206 homers, easily the most in the

NL. Giles' next homer would give the team six players with 20 or

more in the same season.

Giles also had two more doubles Sunday, giving him 44, three shy

of Tommy Holmes' 1945 franchise record of 47.

While the Pirates again were running themselves into outs -- they

had four thrown out on the bases in the final two games of the

series -- the Braves ran themselves into runs.

Not playing like a team that began the day with a 14-game lead

in the NL East, Furcal beat out an infield single between the mound

and first leading off the fourth. Giles then stretched what

appeared to be a routine single to right-center into a double when

the Pirates' outfield didn't move aggressively to field the ball.

That led to Lopez's homer three batters later.

"You can't play complacent," Giles said. "If you do, you're

going to find yourself in trouble."

Sanders had three hits for the Pirates, including a two-run

single in the third. He went into the game knowing it could be his

last for the Pirates -- the Dodgers claimed him on waivers, and the

teams were discussing a possible trade. The Pirates could recall

the waivers if they don't work out a deal.

"I've moved a lot in these last six years, and you learn it's

all part of the game," Sanders said. "I just blocked it out and

went out and played."Game notes
Atlanta's 87-49 record is the best in the majors. ... The

Pirates must go 19-9 in their final 28 games to avoid extending

their club record string of losing seasons to 11. ... Pittsburgh

has only one homestand remaining this season, a 10-game stand in

mid-September. ... Pirates SS Jack Wilson's 17-game hitting streak

ended when he went 0-for-5. ... Reynolds hit three batters. ...

Lopez hit 34 homers in 1998.