ATLANTA – Russ Ortiz stretched his winning streak to a career-high eight games and hit a homer, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 6-3 victory over the Houston Astros in a matchup of division leaders Tuesday night.

Marcus Giles had a career-high five hits and set an Atlanta record with nine consecutive hits over two games. Gary Sheffield hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the fifth that put the Braves ahead for good.

Ortiz (15-4) allowed three runs in 6 1-3 innings to join Toronto’s Roy Halladay as the only 15-game winners in the majors. The Braves’ beleaguered bullpen held the Astros scoreless the rest of the way, with John Smoltz working the ninth for his 39th save in 42 chances.

The only guy as hot as Ortiz is Giles, who followed up two straight four-hit games by going 5-for-5. He broke Jeff Blauser’s Atlanta record of eight straight hits and is one shy of the franchise record, set by John Hassett of the Boston Braves in 1940.

Atlanta tied a season high with 18 hits – its sixth straight game in double figures.

Houston starter Roy Oswalt left in the third after reinjuring his right groin, an injury that already has sent him to the disabled list twice this season. His final pitch was knocked into the left-field stands by Ortiz, tying the game 1-1.

Ortiz homered for the second time this season and sixth time in his career.

On the mound, the right-hander has won eight straight starts to eclipse the longest winning streak of his career, a seven-game run with the San Francisco Giants in 2000.

The three-game series could be a playoff preview. The Braves are running away with the NL East, while Houston is on top in the Central Division.

Ortiz retired the first two hitters, then walked the next two. Lance Berkman took advantage, lining an RBI single to center.

The Braves went ahead in the third. Ortiz’s homer evened the score and Chipper Jones came through with a two-out RBI double.

Houston tied it up in the fifth, taking advantage of third baseman Mark DeRosa’s second error of the night. With one out and runners at first and third, Craig Biggio hit a grounder that ricocheted off the third baseman’s shin.

DeRosa might have had other things on his mind. His wife gave birth to the couple’s first child a day earlier.

The Braves went ahead for good in their half of the fifth. Giles singled to center – his third hit – and Sheffield followed with his 26th homer off Ricky Stone (5-4).

Giles was in the middle of things again in the sixth, coming through with a two-out single that drove in DeRosa to make it 5-2.

Sheffield added an RBI single in the eighth.

Oswalt gave up five hits in two-plus innings, but his defense kept the Braves from scoring more than one run. The Astros turned an inning-ending double play on Chipper Jones in the first, and right fielder Richard Hidalgo threw out Andruw Jones at the plate attempting to score from third on a fly ball, ending the second with another double play.

Notes: Ortiz also homered against Florida’s Carl Pavano in an April 12 game at Pro Player Stadium. … Two batters after giving up Sheffield’s homer, Stone threw a pitch that grazed Andruw Jones in the back. Home plate umpire Jerry Layne warned both benches and there were no further problems. … In addition to DeRosa’s two errors, C Javy Lopez had a throwing error and a passed ball.

AP-ES-07-29-03 2243EDT