Long Ball Launches Braves

Despite a home run and an RBI double, Chipper Jones isn't where he wants to be.

"I'm making strides but I still don't feel real comfortable at the plate," Jones said after helping lead the Atlanta Braves over the Philadelphia Phillies 10-4 Wednesday night.

Jones, in a 7-for-34 slump with just one RBI in the season's first eight games, drove in two runs.

Ryan Klesko went 4-for-4 to tie his career high for hits and had two RBI as the Braves won their third straight and beat the Phillies for the ninth time in their last 11 meetings.

Javy Lopez and Gerald Williams also homered for Atlanta. Brian Jordan drove in a pair of runs and is 9-for-20 with eight RBI against the Phillies this season.

"Hopefully, we're coming around with the bats," Jones said. "We're still not firing on all cylinders, and if we get into a groove, we'll put up some good numbers."

Kevin Millwood (1-1) allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings, struck out six and walked two.

"I thought Millwood threw the ball well," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "They got a couple of infield hits that hurt him, but I liked the way he pitched. Chipper Jones had a great night and Gerald Williams' home run really put the game out of reach."

Paul Byrd (1-1) gave up six runs and six hits in 2 1-3 innings, balked in a run, threw a wild pitch and hit a batter. Byrd beat Millwood 6-3 on April 8, when he allowed only two hits in 7 1-3 innings.

"He started out walking the first hitter and it went downhill from there," Phillies manager Terry Francona said. "His velocity was down and his ball was up. Obviously, it was a complete ifferent Byrd than we saw in Atlanta."

Byrd said he had trouble with his location.

"You can't make mistakes when you don't have your good stuff," he said. "Tonight I made mistakes, and it seemed like they hit every one of them. The most disappointing thing was not giving my team more innings."

Atlanta took a 4-0 lead in the first on Jones' RBI double, Byrd's balk and Klesko's two-run double. The Braves added single runs in the second and third on solo homers by Jones and Lopez, and Jordan's RBI double in the fourth made it 7-0.

Bobby Abreu hit a two-run single in the fourth, and the Phillies closed to 7-4 in the fifth on RBI singles by Marlon Anderson and Rico Brogna. With two out and two outs, Ron Gant popped out, dropping him to 2-for-29 (.069) this year with 11 strikeouts.

Williams hit a two-run pinch homer in the seventh.

Notes

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