Braves Answer Phillies

The Atlanta Braves took a huge step toward their 10th consecutive division championship, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies, 8-3, Wednesday night at Turner Field.

The Braves had 13 hits and Tom Glavine pitched six solid innings, dropping Philadelphia two games behind in the NL East with four to play.

Atlanta can clinch a tie for first place by beating the Phillies tonight in the finale of a three-game series.

The Braves routed Robert Person (15-7), who lost for the first time since Aug. 5. He lasted 41/3 innings, giving up nine hits and seven runs.

Marcus Giles homered, Andruw Jones had three runs batted in and the outcome was not in much doubt after Atlanta scored four runs in the fifth for an 8-1 lead.

Glavine (16-7) won his fifth in a row, giving up eight hits and walking two.

John Smoltz worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the ninth to preserve the victory.

Giles knocked Person’s fourth pitch into the left-field stands, the leadoff batter’s eighth homer this season. The Braves had three more hits in the first, including Jones’ run-scoring single.

In the second inning, Paul Bako singled and Giles walked before 40-year-old Julio Franco doubled, driving in both runners.

Pat Burrell led off the fifth for Philadelphia with his 26th homer, cutting the lead to 4-1, but the Braves responded with four runs in their half.

Chipper Jones singled, Brian Jordan hit a ground-rule double and B.J. Surhoff was walked intentionally to load the bases with one out. Jose Santiago replaced Person and gave up Andruw Jones’ two-run single between shortstop and third.

Rey Sanchez added a run-scoring double and Bako drove in the final run with a groundout.

The Phillies took advantage of two Atlanta throwing errors in the sixth. Scott Rolen and Travis Lee each singled to drive in a run.

Person pitched well in his four previous starts against the Braves this season, going 2-1 with a 2.36 earned-run average. He gave up as many runs Wednesday as he did in the other four games combined, encompassing 262/3 innings.

The series is not generating much excitement in Atlanta. The announced crowd was 27,431, about 3,300 fewer than the turnout Tuesday at 50,091-seat Turner Field.