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The
Atlanta Braves
are showing Petco Park is not just a pitcher's park. They're also showing they may not be out of the NL East race just yet.
The surging Braves look for a third consecutive offensive outburst as they look to close out a three-game sweep against the
San Diego Padres
on Sunday.
A mostly awful first three months of the season made many believe the Braves' 14-season reign as division champions would
end this year. That may still be the case, considering Atlanta is 12 games behind the NL East-leading
New York Mets
, but the Braves have climbed into second place by winning four straight and eight of 10.
Atlanta has come out of the All-Star break by going on an offensive tear in a ballpark where hitters are batting a major league-low
.248 this season.
The Braves have hit nine homers in two games at Petco, including five in Friday's 15-12 win in 11 innings, the highest-scoring
game in the venue's three-year history.
Their lineup did not cool off Saturday, when
Andruw Jones
hit the longest homer ever at Petco Park - a 453-foot shot - in Atlanta's 11-3 victory.
Brian McCann
hit a three-run homer while notching his fourth straight multihit game, and Wilson Betimit and
Scott Thorman
also homered.
Chipper Jones
had a single and a double to reach 1,902 hits, moving past
Dale Murphy
for first place on the team's all-time list.
Jones also enters this contest with a chance to record an extra-base hit in his 14th straight game, matching the major league
record set by
Paul Waner
in 1927.
The veteran third baseman has a 15-game hitting streak overall, batting .508 (31-for-61) with six homers, eight doubles, a
triple and 19 RBIs during the run.
Andruw Jones
, meanwhile, has homered and driven in three runs in three straight games.
John Smoltz
, the winning pitcher Saturday, belives both Joneses need to continue their hot hitting to get Atlanta back into NL East contention.
''You hate to say that's what it's going to take to get us into it, but that's what it's going to take,'' Smoltz said. ''Those
guys are extremely hot. They have to pick up the slack and carry us for some of the things that we're not doing.''
Atlanta has averaged 9.3 runs in its last seven games and now goes against San Diego ace
Jake Peavy
(4-8, 4.46 ERA).
The right-hander is facing the Braves for the first time since setting a franchise record with 16 strikeouts against them
on May 22, though he gave up two runs and three hits in seven innings in a 3-1 loss. Peavy also was victimized by poor run
support on April 15 against Atlanta, striking out eight in seven innings of a 2-0 defeat.
Peavy is 1-3 with a 3.62 ERA in five career starts against the Braves.
He's 0-3 in six outings since May 28, but has allowed three runs or fewer in four straight starts.
''I'm not worried if I win the game,'' Peavy said after striking out nine in seven innings in a 6-3 win over the Phillies
in his last start on July 5. ''The last couple outings, I've felt good.''
The Braves counter with rookie
Chuck James
(3-0, 2.87), who has won all three of his starts since being inserted into the rotation.
He did, however, serve up two homers for the second straight start his last time out, allowing career highs of four runs and
eight hits over six innings in a 14-4 win over St. Louis on July 5.
If James' winning streak continues, San Diego will be swept in a series for the first time since dropping three straight at
Seattle from May 19-21. The Padres had won five straight going into the All-Star break.
The only time this season they've been swept at home came in a three-game set against Arizona from April 24-26.
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