GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: MILWAUKEE (78-73) at ATLANTA (79-73)

NL: MILWAUKEE at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
MILWAUKEE 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0
ATLANTA 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 x 3 8 1 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: MIL - JEFF SUPPAN, SETH MCCLUNG (7TH), RAY KING (8TH) AND DAMIAN
MILLER, MIKE RIVERA (8TH)

ATL - JEFF BENNETT, MANNY ACOSTA (6TH), RON MAHAY
(8TH), TYLER YATES (8TH), RAFAEL SORIANO (9TH) AND BRIAN
MCCANN

HOME RUNS: MIL - RICKIE WEEKS (12) OFF JEFF BENNETT IN THE 3RD, 0 ON

ATL - NONE</div>

 

NL: MILWAUKEE at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
MILWAUKEE 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0
ATLANTA 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 x 3 8 1 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: MIL - JEFF SUPPAN, SETH MCCLUNG (7TH), RAY KING (8TH) AND DAMIAN
MILLER, MIKE RIVERA (8TH)

ATL - JEFF BENNETT, MANNY ACOSTA (6TH), RON MAHAY
(8TH), TYLER YATES (8TH), RAFAEL SORIANO (9TH) AND BRIAN
MCCANN


WP - JEFF BENNETT (1-0)
LP - JEFF SUPPAN (10-12)
SAVE - RAFAEL SORIANO (8)

HOME RUNS: MIL - RICKIE WEEKS (12) OFF JEFF BENNETT IN THE 3RD, 0 ON

ATL - NONE


TIME: 2:38 ATT: 26,595

PROBABLES: MIL - CARLOS VILLANUEVA (8-4, 4.11)
ATL - TIM HUDSON (16-8, 3.33)</div>

 

NL: MILWAUKEE at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">MILWAUKEE (1) VS ATLANTA (3) - FINAL

MILWAUKEE ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
R Weeks 2b 4 1 1 1 1 3 1 .232
J Dillon rf 3 0 1 0 1 1 1 .354
S McClung p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M Rivera c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500
R Braun 3b 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .320
P Fielder 1b 3 0 0 0 1 2 2 .289
C Hart cf 3 0 0 0 1 1 3 .297
G Jenkins lf 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 .265
b-K Mench ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .272
c-T Gwynn Jr ph-lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .265
D Miller c 3 0 0 0 0 2 3 .241
d-L Nix ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000
R King p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Hardy ss 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 .276
J Suppan p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .123
a-G Gross ph-rf 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .237

Totals 32 1 6 1 4 12 14

a-flied out to left for J Suppan in the 7th; b-hit for G Jenkins in the 8th;
c-flied out to right for K Mench in the 8th; d-struck out swinging for D
Miller in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - G Jenkins (24, J Bennett). HR - R Weeks (12, 3rd inning off J
Bennett 0 on, 1 Out). S - J Suppan. RBI - R Weeks (29). Runners left in scoring
position, 2 out - J Dillon 1, D Miller 2, C Hart 1, R Braun 1. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: SB - R Weeks (23, 2nd base off M Acosta/B McCann).

FIELDING: Outfield assists - J Dillon (E Renteria at 3rd base). DP: 2 (R
Weeks-J Hardy-P Fielder, J Hardy-R Weeks-P Fielder).


ATLANTA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
K Johnson 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .281
E Renteria ss 3 0 0 0 1 1 2 .336
C Jones 3b 4 1 3 2 0 0 1 .342
M Teixeira 1b 3 0 0 0 1 2 1 .328
B McCann c 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 .275
J Francoeur rf 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 .292
A Jones cf 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 .221
M Diaz lf 2 1 1 0 1 1 0 .338
J Bennett p 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000
M Acosta p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-P Orr ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .197
R Mahay p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
T Yates p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
R Soriano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 29 3 8 3 3 7 13

a-reached on bunt single to first for M Acosta in the 7th.

BATTING: RBI - B McCann (91), C Jones 2 (96). 2-out RBI - B McCann, C Jones 2.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Francoeur 1. GIDP - J Francoeur, E
Renteria. Team LOB - 5.

FIELDING: E - B McCann (13, throw).


----------------------------------------------------
MILWAUKEE - 001 000 000 -- 1
ATLANTA - 120 000 00x -- 3
----------------------------------------------------

MILWAUKEE ip h r er bb so hr era
J Suppan (L, 10-12) 6 7 3 3 2 6 0 4.72
S McClung 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 4.32
R King 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.86

ATLANTA ip h r er bb so hr era
J Bennett (W, 1-0) 5 2/3 6 1 1 1 8 1 1.59
M Acosta (H, 4) 1 1/3 0 0 0 2 1 0 2.41
R Mahay (H, 5) 1/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 2.55
T Yates (H, 13) 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 5.15
R Soriano (S, 8) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.13

Pitches-strikes: J Suppan 86-54; S McClung 18-8; R King 11-7; J Bennett
89-55; M Acosta 34-19; R Mahay 8-3; T Yates 6-5; R Soriano 8-6. Ground
balls-fly balls: J Suppan 7-4; S McClung 2-1; R King 2-0; J Bennett 8-1; M
Acosta 2-1; R Mahay 0-0; T Yates 0-1; R Soriano 0-2. Batters faced: J Suppan
25; S McClung 4; R King 3; J Bennett 24; M Acosta 6; R Mahay 2; T Yates 2; R
Soriano 3.

UMPIRES: HP--Jerry Layne. 1B--Bill Miller. 2B--Marvin Hudson. 3B--Ed
Montague.

T--2:38. Att--26,595.
Weather: 75 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 13 mph, right to
left.</div>

 

NL: MILWAUKEE at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NL
MILWAUKEE 1
ATLANTA 3 FINAL</div>

 

NL: MILWAUKEE at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MILWAUKEE (1) AT ATLANTA (3) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ATLANTA 1ST: K Johnson grounded out to first. E Renteria lined out to
second. C Jones singled to right center. M Teixeira walked, C Jones to
second. B McCann singled to right, C Jones scored, M Teixeira to third.
J Francoeur struck out swinging. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 0, ATLANTA 1.

ATLANTA 2ND: A Jones reached on infield single to shortstop. M Diaz
singled to left, A Jones to second. J Bennett struck out bunting foul.
K Johnson struck out swinging. E Renteria walked, A Jones to third, M Diaz to
second. C Jones singled to right, A Jones and M Diaz scored, E Renteria to
second, E Renteria thrown out at third attempting to advance on play. (2 Runs,
3 Hits, 0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 0, ATLANTA 3.

MILWAUKEE 3RD: J Suppan struck out swinging. R Weeks homered to left.
J Dillon grounded out to shortstop. R Braun struck out swinging. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 1, ATLANTA 3.</div>

 

NL: MILWAUKEE at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MILWAUKEE (1) AT ATLANTA (3) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Milwaukee Starting Lineups -- R Weeks 2B, J Dillon RF, R Braun 3B, P Fielder 1B,
C Hart CF, G Jenkins LF, D Miller C, J Hardy SS, J Suppan RHP.

Atlanta Starting Lineups -- K Johnson 2B, E Renteria SS, C Jones 3B, M Teixeira 1B,
B McCann C, J Francoeur RF, A Jones CF, M Diaz LF, J Bennett RHP.

Umpires -- Jerry Layne (HP), Bill Miller (1B), Marvin Hudson (2B), Ed Montague (3B).

Gametime Weather: 75 degrees, Cloudy, wind right to left at 13 mph.


MILWAUKEE 1ST: R Weeks struck out swinging. J Dillon singled to right.
R Braun singled to right, J Dillon to second. P Fielder struck out swinging.
C Hart struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 0, ATLANTA 0.

ATLANTA 1ST: K Johnson grounded out to first. E Renteria lined out to
second. C Jones singled to right center. M Teixeira walked, C Jones to
second. B McCann singled to right, C Jones scored, M Teixeira to third.
J Francoeur struck out swinging. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 0, ATLANTA 1.

MILWAUKEE 2ND: G Jenkins flied out to left. D Miller grounded out to
second. J Hardy grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 0,
ATLANTA 1.

ATLANTA 2ND: A Jones reached on infield single to shortstop. M Diaz
singled to left, A Jones to second. J Bennett struck out bunting foul.
K Johnson struck out swinging. E Renteria walked, A Jones to third, M Diaz to
second. C Jones singled to right, A Jones and M Diaz scored, E Renteria to
second, E Renteria thrown out at third attempting to advance on play. (2 Runs,
3 Hits, 0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 0, ATLANTA 3.

MILWAUKEE 3RD: J Suppan struck out swinging. R Weeks homered to left.
J Dillon grounded out to shortstop. R Braun struck out swinging. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 1, ATLANTA 3.

ATLANTA 3RD: M Teixeira struck out swinging. B McCann popped out to third.
J Francoeur popped out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 1,
ATLANTA 3.

MILWAUKEE 4TH: P Fielder grounded out to third. C Hart grounded out to
shortstop. G Jenkins doubled to deep center. D Miller struck out swinging.
(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 1, ATLANTA 3.

ATLANTA 4TH: A Jones grounded out to shortstop. M Diaz struck out
swinging. J Bennett grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
MILWAUKEE 1, ATLANTA 3.

MILWAUKEE 5TH: J Hardy singled to left. J Suppan sacrificed to pitcher,
J Hardy to second. R Weeks struck out swinging. J Dillon struck out swinging.
(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 1, ATLANTA 3.

ATLANTA 5TH: K Johnson grounded out to second. E Renteria struck out
looking. C Jones reached on infield single to second. M Teixeira flied out to
left. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 1, ATLANTA 3.

MILWAUKEE 6TH: R Braun grounded out to second. P Fielder walked. C Hart
grounded into fielder's choice to second, P Fielder out at second. G Jenkins
singled to deep right center, C Hart to third. M Acosta relieved J Bennett.
D Miller struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 1, ATLANTA 3.

ATLANTA 6TH: B McCann singled to center. J Francoeur grounded into double
play, second to shortstop to first, B McCann out at second. A Jones grounded
out to second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 1, ATLANTA 3.

MILWAUKEE 7TH: J Hardy grounded out to third. G Gross hit for J Suppan.
G Gross flied out to left. R Weeks walked. R Weeks stole second, R Weeks safe
at third on throwing error by catcher B McCann. J Dillon walked. R Braun
grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, J Dillon out at second. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 1 Error) MILWAUKEE 1, ATLANTA 3.

ATLANTA 7TH: S McClung relieved J Suppan. G Gross in right field. M Diaz
walked. P Orr hit for M Acosta. P Orr reached on bunt single to first, M Diaz
to second. K Johnson flied out to left. E Renteria grounded into double play,
shortstop to second to first, P Orr out at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
MILWAUKEE 1, ATLANTA 3.

MILWAUKEE 8TH: R Mahay relieved M Acosta. P Fielder struck out looking.
C Hart walked. K Mench hit for G Jenkins. T Yates relieved R Mahay. T Gwynn Jr
hit for K Mench. T Gwynn Jr flied out to right. L Nix hit for D Miller. L Nix
struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 1, ATLANTA 3.

ATLANTA 8TH: M Rivera catching. T Gwynn Jr in left field. R King relieved
S McClung. C Jones grounded out to pitcher. M Teixeira struck out looking.
B McCann grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 1,
ATLANTA 3.

MILWAUKEE 9TH: R Soriano relieved T Yates. J Hardy flied out to right.
G Gross popped out to third. R Weeks struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits,
0 Errors) MILWAUKEE 1, ATLANTA 3.</div>

 

Bennett earns first win in 3 1/2 years as Braves top Brewers

<h3>ATLANTA 3, MILWAUKEE 1</h3>By Phil Foley
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


ATLANTA (Ticker) -- A former teammate put a dent in the MilwaukeeBrewers' playoff chances.


Jeff Bennett allowed one run in his 2007 debut and Chipper Jonesretook control of the National League batting race bycollecting three hits and driving in two runs as the AtlantaBraves posted a 3-1 victory over the Brewers on Thursday.

With the win, Atlanta (80-73) climbed within 4 1/2 games of thestruggling New York Mets (84-68) in the National League EastDivision and remained 5 1/2 behind the surging San Diego Padres(85-67) for the wild card.


Milwaukee (78-74) entered Thursday one game behind the idleChicago Cubs (79-73) in the NL Central but facing a familiarfoe.


The 27-year-old Bennett (1-0) was 1-5 with a 4.15 ERA in 60relief appearances in 2004 for the Brewers. But the Tennesseenative was sent to Class AAA Nashville the following season.

Making his major league debut as a starter Thursday, Bennettdazzled, surrendering one run, six hits and a walk whilestriking out eight in 5 2/3 frames to dispatch his former club.

Former Nashville teammate Rickie Weeks provided the lone blemishagainst Bennett, smashing a 439-foot homer into theright-center field bleachers in the third inning for his 12thblast of the season.


Bennett got into a jam in the sixth, issuing a one-out walk toMVP candidate Prince Fielder before recording the second out ona grounder by Corey Hart. Geoff Jenkins followed with a singleto right field, advancing Hart to third and chasing Bennett, wholeft to a standing ovation by the road crowd.


But reliever Manny Acosta struck out Damian Miller to end thethreat.


Acosta worked out of a two-out, two-on jam in the seventh. RonMahay and Tyler Yates combined to blank the Brewers in theeighth and Rafael Soriano hurled a 1-2-3 ninth to record hiseighth save.


Atlanta, which has won five straight for the first time sinceJune 25-30, can thank Jones for their success.


Jones, who entered Thursday's contest one-thousandth of apercentage point behind Colorado's Matt Holliday for the NLbatting crown, smashed three hits, scored once and drove in tworuns to reclaim the lead with a .342 average.


Holliday is batting .339 after going 1-for-4 in Colorado's 9-4win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. Jones' teammateEdgar Renteria is third in the league with a .336 average.

Milwaukee giftwrapped Atlanta a run in the first.


Jones smashed a two-out single to start the rally before Brewersstarter Jeff Suppan (10-11) walked Mark Teixeira. Brian McCannlofted a fly ball to right field, which Joe Dillon overran.

The 32-year old Dillon tried to come back for the ball butappeared to tweak his ankle. It dropped for a single, platingJones for a 1-0 lead.


Atlanta padded the advantage to 3-0 in the second, when Joneslaced a two-out, two-run single to right field.


Suppan allowed three runs and seven hits, walked two and struckout six in six frames en route to falling to 3-8 with a 5.38 ERAin 17 road starts this season.


Fielder went 0-for-3, snapping his 17-game hitting streak forthe Brewers, who have lost 47-of-78 road contests this year.

 

Bennett earns first win in 3 1/2 years as Braves top Brewers

<h3>ATLANTA 3, MILWAUKEE 1</h3>By Phil Foley
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


ATLANTA (Ticker) --A former teammate put a dent in the Milwaukee Brewers' playoffchances.


Jeff Bennett allowed one run in his 2007 debut and Chipper Jonesretook control of the National League batting race bycollecting three hits and driving in two runs as the AtlantaBraves posted a 3-1 victory over the Brewers on Thursday.

With the win, Atlanta (80-73) climbed within five games of thestruggling New York Mets (84-67) in the National League EastDivision and remained 5 1/2 behind the surging San Diego Padres(85-67) for the wild card. New York is taking on the FloridaMarlins Thursday night


Milwaukee (78-74) entered Thursday one game behind the idleChicago Cubs (79-73) in the NL Central but facing a familiarfoe.


The 27-year-old Bennett (1-0) was 1-5 with a 4.15 ERA in 60relief appearances in 2004 for the Brewers. But the Tennesseenative was sent to Class AAA Nashville the following season.

Making his major league debut as a starter Thursday, Bennettdazzled, surrendering one run, six hits and a walk whilestriking out eight in 5 2/3 frames to dispatch his former club.

Former Nashville teammate Rickie Weeks provided the lone blemishagainst Bennett, smashing a 439-foot homer into theright-center field bleachers in the third inning for his 12thblast of the season.


Bennett got into a jam in the sixth, issuing a one-out walk toMVP candidate Prince Fielder before recording the second out ona grounder by Corey Hart. Geoff Jenkins followed with a singleto right field, advancing Hart to third and chasing Bennett, wholeft to a standing ovation by the road crowd.


But reliever Manny Acosta struck out Damian Miller to end thethreat.


Acosta worked out of a two-out, two-on jam in the seventh. RonMahay and Tyler Yates combined to blank the Brewers in theeighth and Rafael Soriano hurled a 1-2-3 ninth to record hiseighth save.


Atlanta, which has won five straight for the first time sinceJune 25-30, can thank Jones for their success.


Jones, who entered Thursday's contest one-thousandth of apercentage point behind Colorado's Matt Holliday for the NLbatting crown, smashed three hits, scored once and drove in tworuns to reclaim the lead with a .342 average.


Holliday is batting .339 after going 1-for-4 in Colorado's 9-4win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. Jones' teammateEdgar Renteria is third in the league with a .336 average.

Milwaukee giftwrapped Atlanta a run in the first.


Jones smashed a two-out single to start the rally before Brewersstarter Jeff Suppan (10-11) walked Mark Teixeira. Brian McCannlofted a fly ball to right field, which Joe Dillon overran.

The 32-year old Dillon tried to come back for the ball butappeared to tweak his ankle. It dropped for a single, platingJones for a 1-0 lead.


Atlanta padded the advantage to 3-0 in the second, when Joneslaced a two-out, two-run single to right field.


Suppan allowed three runs and seven hits, walked two and struckout six in six frames en route to falling to 3-8 with a 5.38 ERAin 17 road starts this season.


Fielder went 0-for-3, snapping his 17-game hitting streak forthe Brewers, who have lost 47-of-78 road contests this year.

 

Bennett earns first win in 3 1/2 years as Braves top Brewers

<h3>ATLANTA 3, MILWAUKEE 1</h3>By Phil Foley
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


ATLANTA (Ticker) -- A former teammate put a dent in the MilwaukeeBrewers' playoff chances.


Jeff Bennett allowed one run in his 2007 debut and Chipper Jonesretook control of the National League batting race bycollecting three hits and driving in two runs as the AtlantaBraves posted a 3-1 victory over the Brewers on Thursday.

With the win, Atlanta (80-73) climbed within 4 1/2 games of thestruggling New York Mets (84-68) in the National League EastDivision and remained 5 1/2 behind the surging San Diego Padres(85-67) for the wild card. New York dropped a wild extra-inningcontest at Florida on Thursday.


Milwaukee (78-74) entered Thursday one game behind the idleChicago Cubs (79-73) in the NL Central but facing a familiarfoe.


The 27-year-old Bennett (1-0) was 1-5 with a 4.15 ERA in 60relief appearances in 2004 for the Brewers. But the Tennesseenative was sent to Class AAA Nashville the following season.

Making his major league debut as a starter Thursday, Bennettdazzled, surrendering one run, six hits and a walk whilestriking out eight in 5 2/3 frames to dispatch his former club.

Former Nashville teammate Rickie Weeks provided the lone blemishagainst Bennett, smashing a 439-foot homer into theright-center field bleachers in the third inning for his 12thblast of the season.


Bennett got into a jam in the sixth, issuing a one-out walk toMVP candidate Prince Fielder before recording the second out ona grounder by Corey Hart. Geoff Jenkins followed with a singleto right field, advancing Hart to third and chasing Bennett, wholeft to a standing ovation by the road crowd.


But reliever Manny Acosta struck out Damian Miller to end thethreat.


Acosta worked out of a two-out, two-on jam in the seventh. RonMahay and Tyler Yates combined to blank the Brewers in theeighth and Rafael Soriano hurled a 1-2-3 ninth to record hiseighth save.


Atlanta, which has won five straight for the first time sinceJune 25-30, can thank Jones for their success.


Jones, who entered Thursday's contest one-thousandth of apercentage point behind Colorado's Matt Holliday for the NLbatting crown, smashed three hits, scored once and drove in tworuns to reclaim the lead with a .342 average.


Holliday is batting .339 after going 1-for-4 in Colorado's 9-4win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. Jones' teammateEdgar Renteria is third in the league with a .336 average.

Milwaukee giftwrapped Atlanta a run in the first.


Jones smashed a two-out single to start the rally before Brewersstarter Jeff Suppan (10-11) walked Mark Teixeira. Brian McCannlofted a fly ball to right field, which Joe Dillon overran.

The 32-year old Dillon tried to come back for the ball butappeared to tweak his ankle. It dropped for a single, platingJones for a 1-0 lead.


Atlanta padded the advantage to 3-0 in the second, when Joneslaced a two-out, two-run single to right field.


Suppan allowed three runs and seven hits, walked two and struckout six in six frames en route to falling to 3-8 with a 5.38 ERAin 17 road starts this season.


Fielder went 0-for-3, snapping his 17-game hitting streak forthe Brewers, who have lost 47-of-78 road contests this year.

 

Bennett earns first win in 3 1/2 years as Braves top Brewers

<h3>ATLANTA 3, MILWAUKEE 1</h3>By Phil Foley
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


ATLANTA (Ticker) -- A former teammate put a dent in the MilwaukeeBrewers' playoff chances.


Jeff Bennett allowed one run in his 2007 debut and Chipper Jonesretook control of the National League batting race bycollecting three hits and driving in two runs as the AtlantaBraves posted a 3-1 victory over the Brewers on Thursday.

With the win, Atlanta (80-73) climbed within 4 1/2 games of thestruggling New York Mets (84-68) in the National League EastDivision and remained 5 1/2 behind the surging San Diego Padres(85-67) for the wild card. New York dropped a wild extra-inningcontest at Florida on Thursday.


Milwaukee (78-74) entered Thursday one game behind the idleChicago Cubs (79-73) in the NL Central but facing a familiarfoe.


The 27-year-old Bennett (1-0) was 1-5 with a 4.15 ERA in 60relief appearances in 2004 for the Brewers. But the Tennesseenative was sent to Class AAA Nashville the following season.

"I really like those guys," Bennett said of his formerteammates. "We won a championship when we played with Nashvillein '05. I'm friends with a lot of guys. It was more fun thananything."


Making his major league debut as a starter Thursday, Bennettdazzled, surrendering one run, six hits and a walk whilestriking out eight in 5 2/3 frames to dispatch his former club.

"I tried to think in my heart that I belonged here," saidBennett, who did not even have his name displayed over hislocker in the clubhouse. "I pitched against two real good teamswith Durham and Scranton. I took a step back and said, 'Youwere playing with these guys a few years ago.'"


Former Nashville teammate Rickie Weeks provided the lone blemishagainst Bennett, smashing a 439-foot homer into theright-center field bleachers in the third inning for his 12thblast of the season.


Atlanta signed the righthander after he underwent "Tommy John"surgery in 2006 and inserted him into Class AAA Richmond'srotation late this season. Bennett, who grew up a fan of theBraves, responded by posting a 2-0 record with a 1.04 ERA inthree appearances for Richmond, which made a late surge tocapture the International League crown this season.

Bennett worked out of trouble in the first, fourth and fifthframes.


In the first, he wiggled out of a two-on, one-out jam bystriking out MVP candidate Prince Fielder and Corey Hart to endthe threat. In the fourth, Bennett worked around a two-outdouble by Geoff Jenkins by striking out Damian Miller.

One frame later, the righthander stranded J.J. Hardy at secondbase with one out by striking out Weeks and Joe Dillon.

"You're not going to rattle him," batterymate Brian McCann said."He knows he has the stuff to pitch here and stay here."

Bennett also got out of a jam in the sixth, issuing a one-outwalk to Fielder before recording the second out on a grounder byHart. Jenkins followed with a single to right field, advancingHart to third and chasing Bennett, who left to a standingovation from the crowd.


"Bennett did a good job after the first couple of innings,"Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "He started getting that sliderdown and was really effective. I think it was a great firstmajor league start. Coming off an operation on his arm and onlyhaving a handful of starts, I think he did great."

Reliever Manny Acosta struck out Damian Miller to end thethreat.


"All year long, we have been battling back," Weeks said. "Wecouldn't get it done tonight. The pennant race is gettingcloser and closer. We have to win games from here on out."

Acosta worked out of a two-out, two-on jam in the seventh. RonMahay and Tyler Yates combined to blank the Brewers in theeighth and Rafael Soriano hurled a 1-2-3 ninth to record hiseighth save.


Atlanta, which has won five straight for the first time sinceJune 25-30, can thank Jones for their success.


Jones, who entered Thursday's contest one-thousandth of apercentage point behind Colorado's Matt Holliday for the NLbatting crown, smashed three hits, scored once and drove in tworuns to reclaim the lead with a .342 average.


Holliday is batting .339 after going 1-for-4 in Colorado's 9-4win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. Jones' teammateEdgar Renteria is third in the league with a .336 average.

Milwaukee giftwrapped Atlanta a run in the first.


Jones smashed a two-out single to start the rally before Brewersstarter Jeff Suppan (10-11) walked Mark Teixeira. McCannlofted a fly ball to right field, which Dillon overran.

The 32-year old Dillon tried to come back for the ball butappeared to tweak his ankle. It dropped for a single, platingJones for a 1-0 lead.


"I missed it," Dillon said. "That play should have been made. Ididn't get a good read off the bat. I have no excuse."

"I'll take it," McCann said with a smile. "It was one of thosethings. Baseball has its way of working itself out."

Atlanta padded the advantage to 3-0 in the second, when Joneslaced a two-out, two-run single to right field with the basesloaded.


"Having the bases loaded with Chipper up was a difficultsituation," Suppan said. "I tried to make the best pitchpossible. Honestly, I don't know what the pitch was. He's avery, very good hitter."


Suppan allowed three runs and seven hits, walked two and struckout six in six frames en route to falling to 3-8 with a 5.38 ERAin 17 road starts this season.


Fielder went 0-for-3, snapping his 17-game hitting streak forthe Brewers, who have lost 47-of-78 road contests this year.

 

NL: MILWAUKEE at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">MILWAUKEE (1) VS ATLANTA (3) - FINAL

MILWAUKEE ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
R Weeks 2b 4 1 1 1 1 3 1 .232
J Dillon rf 3 0 1 0 1 1 1 .354
S McClung p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M Rivera c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500
R Braun 3b 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .320
P Fielder 1b 3 0 0 0 1 2 2 .289
C Hart cf 3 0 0 0 1 1 3 .297
G Jenkins lf 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 .265
b-K Mench ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .272
c-T Gwynn Jr ph-lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .265
D Miller c 3 0 0 0 0 2 3 .241
d-L Nix ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000
R King p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Hardy ss 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 .276
J Suppan p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .123
a-G Gross ph-rf 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .237

Totals 32 1 6 1 4 12 14

a-flied out to left for J Suppan in the 7th; b-hit for G Jenkins in the 8th;
c-flied out to right for K Mench in the 8th; d-struck out swinging for D
Miller in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - G Jenkins (24, J Bennett). HR - R Weeks (12, 3rd inning off J
Bennett 0 on, 1 Out). S - J Suppan. RBI - R Weeks (29). Runners left in scoring
position, 2 out - J Dillon 1, D Miller 2, C Hart 1, R Braun 1. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: SB - R Weeks (23, 2nd base off M Acosta/B McCann).

FIELDING: Outfield assists - J Dillon (E Renteria at 3rd base). DP: 2 (R
Weeks-J Hardy-P Fielder, J Hardy-R Weeks-P Fielder).


ATLANTA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
K Johnson 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .281
E Renteria ss 3 0 0 0 1 1 2 .336
C Jones 3b 4 1 3 2 0 0 1 .342
M Teixeira 1b 3 0 0 0 1 2 1 .328
B McCann c 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 .275
J Francoeur rf 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 .292
A Jones cf 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 .221
M Diaz lf 2 1 1 0 1 1 0 .338
J Bennett p 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000
M Acosta p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-P Orr ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .197
R Mahay p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
T Yates p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
R Soriano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 29 3 8 3 3 7 13

a-reached on bunt single to first for M Acosta in the 7th.

BATTING: RBI - B McCann (91), C Jones 2 (96). 2-out RBI - B McCann, C Jones 2.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Francoeur 1. GIDP - J Francoeur, E
Renteria. Team LOB - 5.

FIELDING: E - B McCann (13, throw).


----------------------------------------------------
MILWAUKEE - 001 000 000 -- 1
ATLANTA - 120 000 00x -- 3
----------------------------------------------------

MILWAUKEE ip h r er bb so hr era
J Suppan (L, 10-12) 6 7 3 3 2 6 0 4.72
S McClung 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 4.32
R King 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.86

ATLANTA ip h r er bb so hr era
J Bennett (W, 1-0) 5 2/3 6 1 1 1 8 1 1.59
M Acosta (H, 4) 1 1/3 0 0 0 2 1 0 2.41
R Mahay (H, 5) 1/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 2.55
T Yates (H, 13) 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 5.15
R Soriano (S, 8) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.13

Pitches-strikes: J Suppan 86-54; S McClung 18-8; R King 11-7; J Bennett
89-55; M Acosta 34-19; R Mahay 8-3; T Yates 6-5; R Soriano 8-6. Ground
balls-fly balls: J Suppan 7-4; S McClung 2-1; R King 2-0; J Bennett 8-1; M
Acosta 2-1; R Mahay 0-0; T Yates 0-1; R Soriano 0-2. Batters faced: J Suppan
25; S McClung 4; R King 3; J Bennett 24; M Acosta 6; R Mahay 2; T Yates 2; R
Soriano 3.

UMPIRES: HP--Jerry Layne. 1B--Bill Miller. 2B--Marvin Hudson. 3B--Ed
Montague.

T--2:38. Att--26,595.
Weather: 75 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 13 mph, right to
left.</div>