Braves keep rolling behind Jair Jurrjens, creep closer to Rockies with 4-0 win over Marlins

Braves beat Marlins 4-0 to creep closer to Rockies

ATLANTA — Jair Jurrjens wants to please his father. Chipper Jones is trying to salvage a disappointing season.

Both helped the hottest team in baseball take another step toward an improbable trip to the playoffs.

Jurrjens pitched five-hit ball over seven innings, Jones hit a rare homer and the Atlanta Braves beat Florida 4-0 Monday night for their 15th win in 17 games, a stretch that has lifted them into contention with six games left in the regular season.

“We’re taking the field like we expect to win,” Jones said. “Earlier in the year we took the field hoping to win. And that’s why we were a .500 ballclub. Now we’re expecting to win.”

Atlanta closed within two games of idle Colorado in the wild-card race and four behind first-place Philadelphia in the NL East. The Phillies lost 8-2 at home to Houston.

“We’ve got a chance to do it,” said manager Bobby Cox, whose team hasn’t made the playoffs since the last of its record 14 straight division titles in 2005.

The Braves won their seventh straight, matching a season high set at the start of this run, behind another dominant performance by Jurrjens (14-10). The right-hander won his fourth in a row and has gone at least seven innings in seven straight starts, allowing only eight earned runs in 50 2-3 innings (a 1.42 ERA) during that stretch.

Peter Moylan and Rafael Soriano finished off the five-hitter with one inning apiece.

Jurrjens’ father, who still lives in the family’s native Curacao, is a longtime Braves fan who’s watching the playoff race as eagerly as his son. He plans to be at Turner Field if the Braves pull it off.

“I can make my dad’s dream come true if we make the playoffs,” Jurrjens said. “My mom said he’s put his travel bag outside already.”

Jones hit a towering shot off Anibal Sanchez (3-8) in the third inning, striking the right-field foul pole about halfway up for his 18th homer of the season but just his second since Aug. 29.

“I guess it’s a pretty good time to be rounding into form, 156 games in,” Jones said sarcastically. “I would be a lot more upset if I weren’t contributing at this time of year. Especially with the team doing what it’s doing.”

Florida’s third loss in four games all but finished off the Marlins, who dropped 5½ games behind the Rockies and can do no better than tie for the wild card. One more Florida loss or Colorado win would eliminate the Marlins.

The Braves managed just three hits but took advantage of 11 walks by the Marlins — including a career-worst eight by Sanchez. He walked his first three hitters of the game, and the Braves jumped ahead 2-0 without even getting a hit.

“I never walked that many, ever,” Sanchez said. “I don’t know what happened.”

At Philadelphia, Yorman Bazardo (1-2) pitched 5 2-3 effective innings against the team that cut him in spring training and Houston prevented the Phillies from reducing their magic number of three to clinch a third consecutive NL East crown.

Miguel Tejada had four hits and Jeff Keppinger added three hits and two RBIs for the Astros, who are 5-0 against the Phillies this season.

Cole Hamels (10-10) gave up six runs and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings. Philadelphia has lost five of seven.

At Pittsburgh, Andy LaRoche homered twice, doubled twice and singled, driving in six runs as the last-place Pirates again prevented Los Angeles from clinching the NL West.

Zach Duke (11-15) pitched shutout ball into the ninth inning against a patchwork Dodgers lineup. LaRoche set a career high for hits in going 5 for 5 and scoring four runs.

Already assured a playoff spot, the Dodgers lost three of four to the Pirates, who had dropped 23 of 26 going into the series — the franchise’s worst stretch in 119 seasons.

Los Angeles’ next chance to wrap up the division title is Tuesday night, with a win at San Diego or a Colorado loss to Milwaukee.

LaRoche had a two-run double off Hiroki Kuroda (8-7) during Pittsburgh’s big second inning.

At Washington, Mike Morse homered for the third straight game and Ross Detwiler (1-6) earned his first major league win. Mike MacDougal got his 17th save.