Braves Chip away at Cards

ATLANTA -- When it comes to power, Chipper Jones is having an off year. Try telling that to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Jones hit a pair of two-run homers Saturday to back the strong pitching of Jason Marquis, carrying the Atlanta Braves to a 6-1 victory over the Cardinals in a matchup of NL division leaders.

The Braves won their fifth in a row to strengthen their hold on the best record in baseball. St. Louis lost its fourth straight.

"We're playing about as good as we can play," Jones said. "We all know the more wins we can get here, the more confidence we'll take into October."

Jones has certainly played with plenty of confidence during the Braves' homestand, going 13-of-23 with five homers and 13 RBIs in the eight games at Turner Field.

He hit a three-run homer in the opening game of the series against the Cardinals, helping the Braves to an 11-5 victory, and followed with his 14th and 15th of the season against Matt Morris (12-7).

"Chipper is the key to their whole lineup," Morris said. "I threw him two meatballs. You can't make those mistakes."

Jones, who averaged 38 homers the last four season, has struggled much of this year to hit the ball out of the park.

"It's a little too late to say I'm going to approach my power numbers of the past," he said. "But I'd sure like to ride this way as long as I can."

Marquis (8-5), the Braves' No. 5 starter, was pitching for the first time in two weeks. He was skipped over in his last two starts because of off days, but hardly seemed bothered by the layoff.

"If you tell yourself it's going to be tough, it is," he said. "I felt good out there. I didn't want to use that as an excuse."

The right-hander limited St. Louis to five hits and a run, escaping a couple of jams with Jim Edmonds at the plate. In the first, the Cardinals' cleanup hitter grounded into an inning-ending double play with two on. Two innings later, Edmonds struck out swinging with runners at second and third to end another threat.

"I didn't want to give in to him," Marquis said. "If he swung, I wanted him to be hitting my pitch."

Both of Jones' homers came with two outs, including one that was set up by a disputed call at first base in the opening inning.

Shortstop Edgar Renteria made a high throw to first baseman Tino Martinez after fielding Matt Franco's grounder. According to television replays, Martinez appeared to come down on the bag just before Franco's foot arrived, but umpire Jeff Nelson signaled safe.

Two batters later, Jones hit a first-pitch fastball from Morris into the right-field stands to give the Braves a 2-0 lead.

Jones struck again in the fifth. This time, Gary Sheffield singled with two outs and Jones hit another first-pitch fastball even farther -- a 439-foot shot over the center-field wall that made it 5-1.

"His m.o. is getting ahead," Jones said. "He doesn't throw a lot of pitches. He's usually around the plate. We had a good game plan today. If we got a fastball over the plate early in the count, we wanted to put it in play."

Morris was lifted after the sixth. He gave up six hits and three earned runs, including Henry Blanco's sacrifice fly in the fourth. Morris dropped to 0-4 in his career against the Braves, the only NL opponent he hasn't beaten.

"Their whole thing is pitching," he said. "They make pitches when they count, like (Marquis) did all game. That's the difference right there."

Martinez scored St. Louis' lone run after his first triple of the season. He sent a liner to the gap in right-center, where Sheffield failed to make a tumbling catch. Renteria followed with a sacrifice fly.

Notes: The Cardinals have lost four straight for the first time since June 20-25. On Sunday, they'll try to avoid their first three-game sweep of the season. ... Jones' second homer was the 10th-longest in Turner Field history. ... Braves CF Andruw Jones was scratched from the lineup just before the game because of a sore right shoulder. He's been bothered by the injury for more than a month since going over the wall at New York's Shea Stadium attempting to make a catch. Jones did get in for the final two innings, keeping alive his streak of playing in every game this season. ... Renteria made another error in the second, but Morris pitched around the mistake. ... A woman was hit on the top of the head by a foul ball in the third. She didn't appear seriously injured, joking with medical personnel as she left her seat to be checked. She did take an ice bag to hold against her head.