MIAMI – Chipper Jones hit a three-run homer to help Atlanta overcome an early deficit Friday night, and the Braves reduced their magic number for clinching the NL East to eight by beating the Florida Marlins 8-1.

Florida outhit the Braves 13-11 but stranded 10 runners, grounded into three double plays and had a runner thrown out at the plate. The second-place Marlins fell 81/2 games behind the Braves, who moved closer to their 13th consecutive division title.

The defending World Series champion Marlins also lost ground in the wild-card race. They began the night trailing leader San Francisco by 31/2 games.

Paul Byrd (8-5), starting on three days’ rest for the first time this season, allowed nine hits but just one run in five innings. He threw 67 pitches – all but 11 for strikes – and pitched around two errors.

Logan Kensing (0-2), called up last week after spending the season in Class A, allowed four runs in four innings. Kensing started for A.J. Burnett, who has won four consecutive starts but might miss the rest of the season because of elbow inflammation.

J.D. Drew hit his 31st homer for the Braves, and Adam LaRoche had three hits and two RBIs. Luis Castillo went 4-for-4 for the Marlins and scored their run.

With his three RBIs, Jones is just 12 away from reaching 100 for the ninth straight season. Sammy Sosa is the only other NL player to accomplish the feat. Jones had just 34 RBIs at the All-Star break.

Royals 6, Indians 4

CLEVELAND – Cleveland’s Jody Gerut injured his right knee chasing Abraham Nunez’s line drive, enabling the Kansas City hitter to complete an inside-the-park homer in the Royals’ 6-4 win over the Indians on Friday night.

The Indians, who have lost 10 of 14, announced before the game that All-Star pitcher C.C. Sabathia was likely done for the season with a strained left hamstring. Then Gerut left in the seventh inning. He was hurt trying to field a ball hit down the right-field line. As he tried to get the bouncing ball, Gerut tripped and fell headfirst on the warning track.

He grabbed the ball with his bare hand and flung it backwards over his head while screaming in pain. Second baseman Ronnie Belliard raced out to get the ball and threw home, but Nunez scored standing up, giving the Royals a 5-3 lead.

Gerut missed the 2001 season after twice having surgery on his right knee to repair a damaged patella tendon. He will have an MRI on Saturday.

Cubs 12, Reds 4

CINCINNATI – Derrek Lee drove in five runs with a three-run homer and a two-run double, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 12-4 Friday night for their fifth straight win.

Carlos Zambrano (14-8) won for the third time in four decisions and hit his third career homer, the first since July 2003 at Houston. He allowed six hits – two off his bare right hand – in seven innings, struck out five and walked three.

Ben Grieve homered and drove in three runs for the Cubs. Chicago, 7-4 against Cincinnati this season, began the night a half-game behind San Francisco in the wild-card race.

Luke Hudson (3-2) gave up three runs, four hits and four walks in four innings – he needed 41 pitches to get through the fourth, when the Cubs batted around.

Devil Rays 11, Blue Jays 4

TORONTO – Aubrey Huff homered and drove in three runs and B.J. Upton hit a three-run shot in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ 11-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.

Julio Lugo and Tino Martinez each drove in two runs for the fourth-place Devil Rays, who moved four games ahead of the last-place Blue Jays. Tampa Bay is trying to avoid a last-place finish for the first time in its seven-year history.

Doug Waechter (4-7) allowed four runs and four hits in 6 2-3 innings in his third start since coming off the disabled list.

Carlos Delgado and Eric Crozier homered for the Blue Jays, who are a season-worst 27 games below .500 at 60-87.

Orioles 11, Twins 2

MINNEAPOLIS – Rafael Palmeiro hit his 548th homer to tie Mike Schmidt for 10th place on the career list, and Larry Bigbie had a career-high seven RBIs to lead the Baltimore Orioles over Minnesota 11-2 Friday night and stop the Twins’ longest winning streak of the season at nine.

Bigbie had an RBI double in the fifth, then capped a pair of five-run innings with a three-run double in the sixth and a three-run homer in the seventh.

Sidney Ponson (11-14) won for the eighth time in 10 decisions, giving up two runs and five hits in seven innings. Baltimore had been the previous team to beat Minnesota, on Sept. 6, and is 51-23 against the Twins since 1996.

Expos 12, Phillies 8

PHILADELPHIA – Tony Batista hit a go-ahead two-run single in Montreal’s five-run ninth inning, and the Expos rallied for a 12-8 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.

Batista had three RBIs to give him 100, and Juan Rivera went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs for the Expos, who trailed by four in the eighth.

Luis Ayala (6-11) allowed one run and one hit – Bobby Abreu’s solo homer in the ninth – in two innings to pick up the win.

Tim Worrell (4-6) took the loss after Philadelphia’s bullpen wasted another solid outing by Eric Milton.

With the game tied at 7, Maicer Izturis led off with a liner off the glove of second baseman Placido Polanco.

Brian Schneider’s sacrifice was bobbled by Worrell and his throw to first was late for an error.

Astros 2, Brewers 1

HOUSTON – Roy Oswalt aggravated a ribcage injury but pitched long enough to get his 18th win, and Mike Lamb hit a go-ahead homer off former Olympic teammate Ben Sheets in the seventh inning Friday night to lead the Houston Astros over the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1.

Houston, which had only four hits, won for just the fourth time in eight games following a 12-game winning streak. The Astros, who ended the game by throwing out a runner at the plate, began the night two games behind San Francisco in the NL wild-card race.

Oswalt (18-9), who leads the NL in wins, improved to 9-1 in 13 starts since July 17, allowing one run and eight hits in seven innings. His left ribcage has been bothering him for several weeks, but he has not missed a start.

The injury also forced him out of a game on Sept. 1 at Cincinnati.

With the score 1-all in the seventh, Lamb hit his 14th home run of the season. Lamb and Sheets played together on the U.S. team that won the 2000 Olympic gold medal.