ATLANTA - Chipper Jones needed a confidence boost, and so did Mike Hampton. Both got one at the expense of the Montreal Expos.
Jones hit two home runs and Hampton bounced back from two shaky starts to lead the Braves past the Expos 7-5 on Sunday.
Hampton also had two hits, including his first homer of the season, as the Braves won for the third time in the four-game series. Javy Lopez had a two-run single in the fifth 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 27th in 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, who won for the second time in 10 starts, was coming off a 20-1 loss to Florida in which he allowed nine runs and 10 hits in four innings. He had a 13.00 ERA in his past two starts.
The former Crystal River standout pitched seven innings despite a 24-minute rain delay after the fourth, and he retired 12 of his last 15 batters. 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.
Braves manager Bobby Cox was ejected in the third apparently for arguing a balk call against Hampton, the seventh time this season Cox has been tossed.
Henry Mateo went 4-for-5 with four singles for Montreal, setting a career high for hits in a game.
"You do what you have to do," Mateo said. "When you get four hits, you figure your team will win the game."
MARLINS 6, PHILLIES 3: Mark Redman pitched his second straight complete game and Juan Encarnacion homered and drove in three as Florida completed its first sweep in Philadelphia.
Redman allowed seven hits in his third complete game this season, striking out six and walking one. He pitched a five-hitter to beat Atlanta 6-3 June 30.
Marlins manager Jack McKeon got his 800th career victory, becoming the 63rd manager to reach the milestone.
CARDINALS 4, CUBS 1: Woody Williams outpitched Mark Prior and Eduardo Perez hit a three-run homer, leading visiting St. Louis.
The Cardinals took two of three from Chicago, which is two games back of first-place St. Louis in the Central. The Cubs have lost nine of 12 to fall out of the division lead.
Perez drove a 2-and-2 pitch from Prior over the leftfield fence in the second, pausing briefly to watch it sail onto the street. Perez started at third for Scott Rolen, who was held out with back stiffness.
D'BACKS 2, DODGERS 1: Rookie Andrew Good allowed an unearned run in six sharp innings as visiting Arizona won for the 17th time in 21 games.
Shea Hillenbrand, who broke up a no-hit bid by the Dodgers' Odalis Perez with an eighth-inning leadoff single Saturday, was 3-for-4 with a double and scored the Diamondbacks' second run on Lyle Overbay's sacrifice fly.
GIANTS 3, PADRES 2: J.T. Snow hit a run-scoring single with two outs in the ninth as visiting San Francisco took two of three from San Diego.
The West-leading Giants kept the last-place Padres from winning their third straight series. The Padres swept a three-game series at Los Angeles and won the final two of a three-game series at Seattle.
PIRATES 8, ASTROS 3: Aramis Ramirez hit one of Pittsburgh's three homers and drove in four to support Jeff D'Amico's four-hitter as the host Pirates finished a three-game sweep. Houston dropped its ninth in 12 games.
METS 7, REDS 5: Tony Clark led off the ninth with a homer off the batter's eye, completing a late rally that gave New York its first series sweep this season and first three-game sweep in Cincinnati since 1991.
BREWERS 3, ROCKIES 1: Richie Sexson's two-run double in the seventh helped Ben Sheets and host Milwaukee avoid a sweep.
