Braves hand Redbirds 3rd straight loss

Atlanta wins opener of series between division leaders 11-5.

By Tom Saladino ~ The Associated Press

ATLANTA -- Wes Helms hit his first career grand slam, and Chipper Jones added a three-run homer as the Atlanta Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-5 Friday night in a matchup of division leaders.

Tom Glavine (14-6) gave up one run and six hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out three, going back out to the mound following a rain delay of 55 minutes in the third inning.

St. Louis starter Jason Simontacchi (7-3) was roughed up and didn't get an out in the second.

He gave up five runs in the first, including Helms' homer, and four in the second -- three on Jones' 13th homer. The right-hander left trailing 9-1 and was replaced by reliever Mike Matthews.

Simontacchi, whose ERA rose from 3.33 to 4.25, allowed seven hits and three walks in one-plus inning. He faced five batters in the second without getting an out.

The NL East-leading Braves have the best record in the majors at 71-38. They've won three in a row, 13 of 16 and are 52-17 (.754) since May 15.

The Cardinals, first in the Central, have dropped three in a row -- their longest losing streak since June 20-25, when they dropped four straight.

With one out in the first, Atlanta's Julio Franco drew a walk, Gary Sheffield grounded out and Jones walked. Andruw Jones singled in Franco before Keith Lockhart walked, loading the bases.

Helms, who started at third base in place of the slumping Vinny Castilla, followed with a 395-foot shot over the left-field fence for a 5-0 lead. It was the sixth homer of the season for the second-year player.

Rafael Furcal led off the Atlanta second with a single, took second on a walk to Franco and scored on Sheffield's single. Chipper Jones followed with his three-run shot for a 9-1 lead.

Andruw Jones then singled, chasing Simontacchi.

Chipper Jones went 3-for-4 and scored twice.

The Braves added a run in the third on a double by Furcal and Franco's RBI single for a 10-1 lead. Henry Blanco hit a solo homer -- his fourth -- in the seventh off Steve Kline.

The Cardinals' run off Glavine came in the second on a double by Eduardo Perez and a run-scoring single by Mike Matheny, who went 3-for-4.

St. Louis added four runs off reliever Kerry Ligtenberg in the seventh on an RBI double by pinch-hitter Eli Marrero and a two-run triple by Albert Pujols, who scored when second baseman Keith Lockhart's errant throw skipped past third for an error.

Notes: Glavine was 2-3 with a 7.36 ERA in six July starts. ... Pujols, who was 3-for-5, singled in the first inning when his two-hop liner struck second base umpire Jeff Nelson. ... Chipper Jones had reached base six straight times (four hits, two walks) before being called out on strikes in the third. ... Castilla is mired in a 3-for-44 slump.