Braves 14, Expos 2

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Jaret Wright pitched six solid innings, Andruw Jones homered twice and drove in five runs and the Atlanta Braves completed a three-game sweep of the Montreal Expos with a 14-2 rout.

Jones and J.D. Drew each went 4-for-4 and homered in the sixth inning as the Braves won for the 10th time in its last 13 and improved to two games over .500 for the first time since they were 11-9 on April 28.

Charles Thomas, Adam LaRoche and Rafael Furcal also went deep as part of Atlanta’s 17-hit attack in front of 8,534 people.

Wright (6-5) gave up six hits and allowed only a run in the fourth, when Orlando Cabrera singled and Nick Johnson doubled down the first-base line.

The Braves scored three times in the second off Livan Hernandez. With one out, Jones singled and scored on Thomas’ first career homer. After Wright struck out, Furcal smashed his third home run of the year.

Drew singled, Chipper Jones walked and Johnny Estrada singled to load the bases leading off the third. LaRoche hit an RBI single, followed by a two-run double by Andruw Jones that chased Hernandez after 63 pitches.

Hernandez (6-8) worked two-plus innings and allowed six runs on eight hits, with two walks and two strikeouts.

Atlanta scored again in the sixth off reliever Chad Bentz on Drew’s 17th homer, and Andruw Jones’ 14th, a two-run shot, also off Bentz.

Claudio Vargas relieved in the ninth and allowed four runs – consecutive homers by LaRoche and Andruw Jones, and a two-run double by Mark DeRosa. He was replaced by Joe Horgan, who was welcomed by an RBI double from Eli Marrero.

Antonio Alfonseca replaced Wright to start the seventh and left after two batters, allowing Terrmel Sledge’s eighth home run, a solo shot to center field, and getting hit in his left wrist by a hard liner from Brad Wilkerson.

Kevin Gryboski relieved, walked Endy Chavez and left with what appeared to be a strained groin. Chris Reitsma struck out the next three hitters.

Tim Drew pitched the eighth and ninth for Atlanta.

Notes: Montreal is 1-5 in its last “homestand” this season in Puerto Rico. The lone win came on a shutout by Hernandez against the Toronto Blue Jays. … Atlanta scored 26 runs in the three-game series, and is now 6-0 in Hiram Bithorn Stadium, where they scored 20 runs in a three-game series last year. … Atlanta 2B Mark DeRosa made two nice defensive plays – diving to his right in the first to start a double play, and diving to his left in the fourth on Jamey Carroll’s grounder, who beat the throw to first. … Drew is hitting 14-for-32, with 4 homers in his last eight games. … Montreal’s 3B Tony Batista went 2-for-5, including a broken-bat bloop single to shallow left-center field in the fifth, and is now two hits shy of 1,000 for his career. … It was Andruw Jones’ 20th career multihomer game.

AP-ES-07-07-04 2248EDT