Jones, Hampton Get Back on Track

Chipper Jones hit two home runs and Mike Hampton bounced back from two shaky starts to lead the Atlanta Braves past the Montreal Expos, 7-5, on Sunday.

Hampton also had two hits, including his first homer this season, and the Braves won for the third time in the four-game series. Javy Lopez had a two-run single in the fifth inning to give Atlanta the lead for good.

Jones, in a 14-for-58 slump, hit two home runs in a game for the first time this season and the 27th time of his career.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “My confidence was waning a little bit. I’ve been starting to get comfortable, and for five at-bats, I felt in control the whole time.”

Hampton (4-5), who won for only the second time in 10 starts, was coming off a 20-1 loss to Florida in which he gave up nine runs and 10 hits in four innings. He had a 13.00 earned-run average in his previous two starts.

But he went seven innings despite a 24-minute rain delay after the fourth inning and retired 12 of the last 15 batters he faced. He gave up nine hits and was charged with all four runs.

“I threw a lot of strikes and I was able to locate pretty well,” Hampton said. “And the biggest thing was later in the game, using my breaking ball a little more. I relied on my fastball the first three or four innings; later on, I was able to mix in my forkball.”

John Smoltz gave up a home run to Michael Barrett in the ninth but finished for his 32nd save in 34 chances.

Manager Bobby Cox was ejected in the third inning for apparently arguing a balk call against Hampton, the seventh time this season Cox has been ejected.

A homer by Hampton in the fourth -- the 11th home run of his career -- cut Montreal’s lead to 4-3, and the Braves scored two runs in the fifth to take the lead.

Montreal scored three runs in the third to take the lead, helped by the balk against Hampton. With one out, Henry Mateo singled and moved to second base when plate umpire Phil Cuzzi called a balk on Hampton.

Cox came out of the dugout to argue but left relatively quickly. Jamey Carroll then singled to drive in Mateo with the first run of the game, and Cox said something from the dugout. Cuzzi turned and threw out Cox, bringing Cox back on the field for more discussion.

It’s the first time this season Cox has been ejected at Turner Field.

“It was a routine throw over,” Cox said. “We thought they were going to hit and run so we threw over back to back. It was not a pickoff move. It was no balk. It was absolutely no balk.”