Braves Raise The Roof In Frisco

Keith Lockhart, Andres Galarraga, Javy Lopez, Andruw Jones and Greg Colbrunn homered as part of a season-high 20-hit outburst that carried Atlanta to a 14-6 victory over San Francisco on Saturday.

The Braves followed back-to-back shutouts from Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine by matching a season high with five home runs to increase their NL-leading total to 161.

"The last three games, we've played about as well as can play," said Chipper Jones, who drove in two runs with a single and sacrifice fly. "It starts with the pitching. We've played good defense and we've been able to score some runs early to give the pitching a little bit of a cushion."

Kevin Millwood (13-6) allowed five hits over six innings, giving up five runs after being staked to a 10-0 lead. He struck out six and walked four in his third victory in four decisions.

"We jumped out to an early lead and kept scoring," Millwood said. "Anytime in a game, our offense can bust out for 4-5 runs in an inning. And as long as we have an offense like this, we're going to do pretty well."

Michael Tucker had four hits, including a pair of run-scoring doubles, and Ozzie Guillen, Ryan Klesko and Lockhart each had three hits for the NL East-leading Braves, who won for the 13th time in 17 games to go a season-high 39 games above .500 (78-39).

"Right now, we're getting offense, defense and pitching and when everything is going together like that, you're going to be successful," Galarraga said. "We're happy and we're excited with where we are. Let's keep it going."

Atlanta tagged Danny Darwin (7-10) for seven runs on 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings in sending him to his seventh loss in eighdecisions.

"If you don't have your stuff against that lineup, you're going to get hit hard," Darwin said. "I was up and over the middle of the plate all day. It was just one of those days when I didn't have anything."

The Braves got to Darwin for four runs in the first inning, capped by Lopez's 25th homer, a two-run shot.

Tucker had the first of his run-scoring doubles in the third and the Braves put together their second four-run inning in the fourth. After Chipper Jones' sacrifice fly finished Darwin, Galarraga greeted John Johnstone by connecting for his 35th homer, another a two-run shot.

Lockhart had a solo blast off Johnstone in the fifth, and Jones hit his 20th of the season off Rich Rodriguez in the eighth. Colbrunn had a two-run homer in the ninth off Jose Mesa.

Millwood blanked San Francisco on one hit through four innings. But in the fifth, Rey Sanchez walked, Brent Mayne singled, and Marvin Benard had a two-run single.

Sanchez hit a two-run triple and Brent Mayne had a RBI single in the sixth. The Giants batted out of order in the sixth, but Atlanta didn't protest so the plays were allowed to stand. Rich Aurilia and Joe Carter replaced Jeff Kent and J.T. Snow, but Aurilia drew a walk and scored while going to the plate when Carter was supposed to bat.

San Francisco coach Sonny Jackson said he misread manager Dusty Baker's notation of the change, leading to the confusion over the batting order.

"I made the mistake. I didn't realize it until the umpire said something," Jackson said.

Atlanta manager Bobby Cox said considering the game circumstances, it was no big deal.

"It didn't matter which one hits where," he said.

Struggling Braves reliever Mark Wohlers got the final out in the ninth, retiring Stan Javier on a fly ball to left.

Since returning from Triple-A Richmond on July 15, Wohlers has allowed 13 runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings while walking 15 and striking out one.

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