BC-BBN–Marlins-Braves,0474

Braves 4, Marlins 1

By CHARLES ODUM

Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA (AP) – Chipper Jones and the Atlanta Braves are slowing down the Florida Marlins.

Jones homered for the second straight night, and Russ Ortiz outpitched Josh Beckett to lead the Braves over the World Series champions 4-1 Saturday night.

Jesse Garcia added his first homer in more than four years, helping Atlanta move back over .500 at 6-5.

Florida arrived in Atlanta with the best record in the major leagues (8-1) and a seven-game winning streak but has lost the first two games of the three-game series.

Ortiz (1-2) gave up one run and six hits in 6 2-3 innings, lowering his ERA from 6.75 to 4.50. John Smoltz, who followed Kevin Gryboski and Chris Reitsma out of the bullpen, got three straight outs for his third save, completing a six-hitter.

Beckett (1-1) entered a 0.64 ERA that soared to 2.21. His fastball was recorded at as much as 102 mph and he struck out seven, but he allowed four runs and eight hits in 6 1-3 innings.

He gave up a double to Mark DeRosa leading off the first and Jones’ third homer of the season.

Beckett allowed only three hits after Jones’ homer, including two by Ortiz, over the next five innings.

Braves right fielder Eli Marrero threw out Mike Lowell at the plate trying to score on Ramon Castro’s two-out single in the second. Lowell appeared to reach the plate with his left hand under the tag of catcher Johnny Estrada, but Marlins manager Jack McKeon’s argument failed to persuade plate umpire Bill Miller.

Hee Seop Choi cut the lead to 2-1 in the seventh when he scored from third on a wild pitch by Kevin Gryboski.

Garcia, filling in for the injured Rafael Furcal at shortstop, hit a solo homer on an 0-2 pitch in the bottom half, the third home run of his career and first in 123 at-bats since connecting for Baltimore on Sept. 30, 1999, against the New Yankees’ Jeff Nelson.

Beckett, who allowed only one earned run in his first two starts of the season, was lifted after giving up a run-scoring single to Marcus Giles in the seventh. Giles drove in Dewayne Wise, who pinch hit and tripled.

Notes: Abraham Nunez started for the slumping Jeff Conine in left field, but McKeon said Conine likely would return to the lineup Sunday. … Furcal (strained lower back) was out of the lineup for the seventh straight game but is close to returning. Atlanta RF J.D. Drew was held out for the fourth straight game with a mild hamstring injury. … Braves C Johnny Estrada has not thrown out a runner in seven stolen-base attempts. Choi got his first steal of the season and second of his career. … Beckett had given up only two earned runs in 19 career innings at Turner Field (0.95 ERA) coming in.

AP-ES-04-17-04 2157EDT