Braves’ Ortiz Is First 14-Game Winner in NL

Russ Ortiz isn’t doing anything different than he has in the past. There’s only one change -- this season, he’s getting a lot of runs.

Ortiz won his seventh consecutive start and became the National League’s first 14-game winner and Javy Lopez hit a two-run homer Thursday as the Atlanta Braves beat the Florida Marlins, 5-2, at Atlanta.

“I feel like I’ve pitched well all year and I’ve had good numbers through July before,” Ortiz said. “But this year these guys have scored a lot of runs for me and bailed me out several times.”

The Braves have scored 126 runs in his 22 starts (5.7 runs a game).

The Braves are 17-5 this season in games Ortiz started. He is tied with Toronto’s Roy Halladay and Baltimore’s Sidney Ponson for the most wins in the majors.

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Philadelphia 14, Chicago 6 -- Bobby Abreu hit a grand slam along with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly during a nine-run burst in the sixth inning that sent the Phillies over the Cubs at Chicago.

Abreu became the first Phillie player with five runs batted in in an inning since Von Hayes on June 11, 1985. Abreu had a chance to join Fernando Tatis as the only players in major league history to hit two grand slams in an inning, but hit a sacrifice fly to medium center field off Mike Remlinger.

Tatis, playing for St. Louis, hit two slams in the same inning off Chan Ho Park at Dodger Stadium on April 23, 1999.

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Pittsburgh 7, Cincinnati 5 -- Matt Stairs had an RBI double in the 11th inning, and the Pirates completed their second sweep this season at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park. The Pirates are 5-0 at Cincinnati this season.

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Montreal 5, New York 1 -- Livan Hernandez won his fourth straight decision and Wil Cordero homered to lead the Expos at Montreal. Hernandez (10-6) improved to 4-0 in five July starts. Met pitcher Tom Glavine (6-11) lost for the eighth time in his last nine decisions.

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Milwaukee 2, Houston 1 -- Keith Ginter hit a pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning to lift the Brewers at Milwaukee.