It’s Maddux of Old Against Cardinals

Greg Maddux, who got off to a dismal start this season, pitched three-hit ball over seven innings and the streaking Atlanta Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2, Wednesday night.

The 2-hour 10-minute game was the Braves’ eighth victory in nine games and moved them into first place for the first time this season. They are in a three-way tie for the lead in the National League East with Montreal and Philadelphia.

“Tonight was good,” Maddux said after Atlanta’s fastest game of the season. “I was thinking about pitching instead of thinking about how to throw pitches. That’s a step in the right direction.”

Marcus Giles and Gary Sheffield hit back-to-back homers off Matt Morris in the first inning for Atlanta. Giles and Sheffield also drove in runs in the eighth against Jeff Fassero to extend the lead to 4-0.

Those runs proved to be valuable when Jim Edmonds hit a two-run homer off Darren Holmes in the ninth. The Braves brought on John Smoltz, who got three outs for his league-leading eighth save in eight chances -- and 24th in a row dating to last season.

Maddux (2-3) lost his first three starts for the first time in his career, with the Braves getting outscored, 43-5, in those games.

The four-time Cy Young winner entered Wednesday night’s game with a 7.52 earned-run average, having yielded 39 hits and seven homers in 26 1/3 innings.

But Maddux needed only 76 pitches to breeze through seven innings against the hard-hitting Cardinals and lower his ERA to 5.94. He wanted to keep going, but Manager Bobby Cox turned to his bullpen.

Roberto Hernandez pitched a scoreless eighth, but Holmes failed to get an out in the ninth.

“You knew the same ol’ Doggie would show up at some point,” Brave left fielder Chipper Jones said. “Doggie has been working his tail off on his mechanics. The way the ball was going over the plate tonight, obviously he’s figured it out.”

Smoltz, who hasn’t given up a run, retired Orlando Palmeiro on a routine fly with runners at second and third to end it.

Morris (1-2) took another hard-luck loss against the Braves, the only NL team he has never beaten. His record against Atlanta dropped to 0-5 despite a 3.44 ERA in 10 starts.