Braves finish off sweep of Phillies

ATLANTA -- Chipper Jones doesn't usually play a day game after a night game, but he had to play Sunday when the Phillies sent Roy Halladay to the mound, because Jones was batting .500 against him. And Jones delivered again, scoring one run and driving in another with a home run to lead the Braves to a 6-2 win and a series sweep of their National League East division rivals.

Jones finished the day 2-for-4, including for 2-for-3 against Halladay, to raise his average to .317, and he helped provide Tim Hudson with enough support to get the victory.

"To sweep that team is something that you always look forward to and something you really don't count on," said Hudson (10-4).

Hudson lasted into the sixth inning and exited after giving up a two-out RBI single to Carlos Ruiz.

"We got through that sixth inning," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "It was kind of hairy there a little bit."

It didn't appear it would be Halladay's day early. It wasn't just because he gave up a two-out home run to Jason Heyward on the first pitch in the first inning, or because Dan Uggla, batting .209, drove in the second run on a double. But when Halladay got his 2,000th career strikeout in the first inning, it came on a pitch ruled a wild pitch that ended up with David Ross at first base and the Phillies prematurely leaving the field when home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom ruled Carlos Ruiz hadn't caught the ball. Then in the next inning, Hudson hit a ball that ricocheted off Halladay for a single. At least Halladay was able to regroup to retire the Braves in order after that.

Halladay fell to 4-6, and the Phillies dropped to 45-57.

"We have no choice but to keep on playing," Halladay said. "We owe it to the fans, we owe it to ourselves, we owe it to a lot of people."

Shane Victorino's leadoff home run in the fourth inning was his first home run since June 8 in Baltimore, a span of 152 at-bats. Victorino also had two singles for a 3-for-4 day.

Victorino, subject of trade rumors, made it clear he doesn't want this to have been his last game with the Phillies. "I'm wearing a 'P' on my hat, 'Phillies' across my chest," he said. "If there's one team I think can do something special, it's this team."

The Braves salted the win away in the bottom of the seventh with three runs off Jake Diekman.

Notes: Jones scared manager Gonzalez when he tweeted Saturday night that he had "a date with the Doc tomorrow." Gonzalez says he tossed and turned all night until he could talk to the team's head trainer, Jeff Porter, Sunday morning. It turns out that Jones was referring to facing Phillies RHP Roy "Doc" Halladay. "This tweeting's going to kill me!" Gonzalez exclaimed. He isn't on Twitter, but his son is. . . . C Brian McCann, in Saturday's game, failed to hit a home run against the Phillies for the first time in six straight games this season . . . . Saturday's starting pitchers, Phillies RHP Joe Blanton and Braves LHP Mike Minor, are tied for the National League lead in home runs given up: 22. . . . Victorino's longest previous homerless streak was 309 at-bats over the 2006-07 seasons. . . . RF Hunter Pence was not in the lineup for only the second time this season. Manager Charlie Manuel wanted to give Pence, batting .153 in his last 59 at-bats, a day off. Pence did have nine RBIs in those at-bats, and he singled in a pinch-hit appearance in the sixth inning, then stayed in the game. He singled again in the ninth. . . . C Brian Schneider (sprained right ankle) has hit .222 (4-for-18) in four rehab games with Single-A Clearwater. He has two doubles, two RBIs and a walk. He is catching some games and serving as the designated hitter in others.

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