Braves take 1½-game lead over Phillies

Kevin Millwood made sure the Atlanta Braves went to New York in first place.

Millwood pitched six shutout innings and Javy Lopez drove in three runs as the Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-1 Thursday night to reopen a 1 1/2-game lead in the NL East.

The Braves avoided a four-game sweep and headed to New York with a 5 1/2-game lead over the Mets. Friday's opener of a three-game series at Shea Stadium is the first major outdoor sporting event in New York since last week's terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

"It's going to be emotional," Chipper Jones said. "I doubt there will be a dry eye in the place. If playing the Atlanta Braves can be a rallying point for the people in New York, I'm honored to be a part of it."

Millwood (6-6) allowed three hits and struck out a season-high eight to win for the fourth time in five decisions.

"You don't want to get swept in a four-game series and it's always nice to stay in first place, let the other guys know they are still chasing you," Millwood said.

Lopez gave the Braves a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly in the second. Ken Caminiti walked to start the inning, moved to third on a double by Andruw Jones and scored on Lopez's liner to center.

After Jones singled with one out in the fourth, Lopez hit his 16th homer for a 3-0 lead.

"We kind of got back in the groove," Lopez said.

Brian Jordan added an RBI single in the fifth. Atlanta made it 5-0 in the sixth when Lopez took off for third on a delayed steal and scored as reliever Cliff Politte's throw to third got past Scott Rolen.

Pat Burrell homered off Mike Remlinger in the seventh.

Phillies starter Randy Wolf (7-11) allowed four runs and six hits in 4 2-3 innings, striking out six in the first three innings.

"He started out pitching good early, had a good fastball," catcher Johnny Estrada said. "Then he left some balls over the plate and had locations problems."

Millwood escaped trouble in the second and third with timely strikeouts. He fanned Johnny Estrada to end the second with two on.

He struck out Bobby Abreu with one out and runners on second and third in the third. After intentionally walking Rolen to load the bases, Millwood fanned Marlon Anderson to get out of the jam.

"With Abreu up, we were looking at it being a tie game, limiting our damage," Chipper Jones said. "He was overpowering at times."

Since going 18-7 with a 2.68 ERA in 1999, Millwood is 16-19 with a 4.52 ERA. But he looked like his old self against the Phillies. Millwood retired the last 10 batters he faced and 12 of 13.

"He was throwing everything hard, was in control the whole game," Lopez said.

John Smoltz struck out the side in the ninth in his first appearance since blowing a save chance for the first time Tuesday night.

Philadelphia, which has 15 games left, starts a weekend series at home against Florida on Friday night.

"We're still in this, but we better be able to play against Florida because they have some good arms," Phillies manager Larry Bowa said.

Game notes:
Braves manager Bobby Cox was ejected in the second inning by home plate umpire Mark Barron for arguing balls and strikes. It was his 10th ejection of the season and second in as many nights. ... Andruw Jones had struck out 10 times in 12 at-bats before hitting a double and single his first two times up. ... The Braves and Phillies meet in Atlanta for three more games Oct. 2-4 in a series that was postponed following last week's terrorist attacks. ... Millwood made a barehanded catch on a liner, robbing Jimmy Rollins of a bunt single in the fifth. ... Wolf is 0-5 against Atlanta. ... The game started 11 minutes late because of rain and was delayed for 20 minutes in the fifth.

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Author: 6 ABC - Action News