ATLANTA (AP) – The Atlanta Braves will be minus Chipper Jones and Tim Hudson for a while.

The Braves put both stars on the 15-day disabled list Monday, a setback for a team trying to revive its fading hopes in the NL East.

Jones leads the majors in hitting at .369. He hurt his left hamstring Wednesday night running out a grounder and has been slow to heal.

The right-handed Hudson is 11-7 with a 3.17 ERA. He has been feeling tightness in his pitching elbow.

Both went on the DL retroactive to last Friday, the latest in a devastating series of injuries to strike the Braves this season.

Atlanta began the day 7 games behind division-leading New York after two excruciating losses in Philadelphia over the weekend.

The Braves blew a six-run lead on Saturday and lost 10-9, then followed up by squandering a five-run cushion Sunday in a 12-10 defeat.

The Braves also optioned left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes to Triple-A Richmond. Atlanta recalled pitcher Charlie Morton and catcher Clint Sammons from Richmond and activated reliever Jeff Bennett from the disabled list.

Morton was scheduled to start the opener of a four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals, while Jose Campillo, who went only 1 2-3 innings Sunday before the game was halted by rain, will return Tuesday to take Hudson’s spot in the rotation.

Braves catcher Brian McCann sustained a mild concussion in a collision at home plate at Philadelphia on Sunday. He is expected to miss three or four games.

“I feel like I thought would: headache, neck hurts, jaw’s sore,” McCann said.

Reyes was 3-9 with a 5.34 ERA in 16 games, all but one of them as a starter. Manager Bobby Cox said the left-hander has made changes in his delivery and needs to become more comfortable in game situations.

“I’m not mad about it,” Reyes said. “I kind of had a feeling. I haven’t been pitching very good the last three or four outings.”

AP-ES-07-28-08 1749EDT