Chipper struggles, but Braves blank Mets

NEW YORK -- Chipper Jones didn't hurt the Mets in the first game of his Flushing farewell, but the rest of the Atlanta Braves made sure he walked off the field a winner again on a night his fierce rivals honored him.

Jones went 0-for-4 and made an error, but the Braves continued their dominant pitching performance while Jason Heyward and Dan Uggla each went deep in Atlanta's 3-0 win Friday night.

Paul Maholm (12-9) pitched 5 1/3 innings and five relievers finished off the shutout, extending Atlanta's scoreless streak to 28 innings.

The wild-card leading Braves won their third in a row, each a shutout, with Atlanta scoring just five runs combined in the victories. Atlanta upped its wild card lead to two games over the Pirates, who lost to the Cubs.

"Obviously, we've been winning games, we haven't been scoring," Maholm said. "... They can break out at any time, so you just go out there and throw as many zeroes as possible."

Jon Niese (10-9) allowed just one run on five hits in six innings, but that was enough to take the loss for the Mets, who managed just five hits on the night.

Before the game, Jones was honored by the Mets, who gave him a gift earlier that afternoon and showed the presentation during a brief video display before the game.

Wondering how he would be received and expecting a mixed reaction, Jones would instead see just how far the team he used to punish during pennant races had fallen. A sparse crowd was there right before game time, as he waved to fans, who mostly cheered, with some boos.

Jones enjoyed the gift as well as the memories, and savored every moment. Well, almost every moment.

"Pregame was a blast. The whole day was a blast, except for when I had to step to the plate or had a ball hit to me," Jones said. "I did my best to stink up the joint."

Though Jones went hitless, his teammates easily picked him up. Heyward gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead in the fourth with his 25th homer of the year. As Maholm and five relievers shut the Mets out, the Braves added an unearned run in the seventh for a 2-0 lead.

After Uggla doubled to start the inning, he advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Kelly Shoppach on a pickoff attempt. Uggla then scored on David Ross' sacrifice fly.

Uggla added his 18th homer of the season off Jenrry Mejia in the ninth and Craig Kimbrel earned his 35th save of the season with a scoreless ninth for Atlanta.

Mejia made his first major-league appearance since Sept. 15, 2010, after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May last year. He allowed the solo homer and nothing else, while striking out one in two innings.

"I feel good," Mejia said. "It's been a long time since I've been out there."

The Mets stranded 11 base runners and left runners at second and third when Jordany Valdespin struck out and pinch hitter Lucas Duda grounded out in the sixth.

"When we got guys on we got two-out hits," Mets manager Terry Collins said, remembering the Mets' more successful first half. "(Now), we're not getting many hits at all, especially with two outs ... We just haven't been able to come up with a big hit, especially at home."

Jones, known as a Mets killer since torching them with four homers in a September series during the 1999 playoff race, was reflective upon his final series in Flushing.

He shared countless memories in a pregame press conference before the Mets presented him with a 3-D piece of pop artwork of Shea Stadium -- complete with a fan holding a banner with the familiar "Larry" taunt, in reference to Jones' less-preferred given name.

Jones teased New York fans for their disdain for him as well as their New York accents -- " 'Hey, Chipp-uh,' " he said, taking a crack at imitating a fan, " 'quit beating up on my Mets.' " But he also acknowledged that for all his much-heralded success at the Mets' former home, Shea Stadium -- which inspired him to name his 8-year-old son Shea -- his favorite memory came in a Braves' loss in the first game played thereafter the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"We had done our jobs as baseball players to entertain people, but we had gone, I feel above and beyond just the normal day's work in that we owed it to the city of New York and the Northeast United States to help heal a little bit," he said.

He acknowledged how he would feel about himself if he were a Mets fan involved in the conflict.

"I would respect the body of work, but I would hate his guts," he said.

NOTES: Mets center fielder Andres Torres left the game in the second inning with a bruised left knee after taking a tumble following a running catch in center. He was replaced by Valdespin, and was listed as day to day. ... Right-hander Matt Harvey will get two more starts before getting shut down, manager Terry Collins said. ... Shortstop Ruben Tejada was given Friday off and will also not start Saturday, Collins said. The moves were part of Collins' decision to rest the struggling Tejada occasionally in the final month as he gets used to a full major-league season, but also because he's struggled against the Braves starters, he said. ... Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons (broken hand) hit a home run for Class A Lynchburg in its playoff game against Wilmington Friday. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said it was not yet decided if Simmons would play another game in Lynchburg or rejoin Atlanta.