Braves climb to .500 in rout

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The temperature was in the mid-90s when they left the air-conditioned comfort of the visitors' clubhouse, but seven batters into Monday night's game the Atlanta Braves considered Hiram Bithorn Stadium a tropical paradise.

• Photos

For a second straight day, the Braves rode one inning's worth of offense to a win, this time an 11-4 drubbing of the Expos before a crowd of 13,122, returning Atlanta to .500 (41-41) for the first time since June 11.

The Braves - who haven't been more than one game over .500 since April 27 - have now won five of six and eight of 10 during their best stretch of the season.

"It's easy to pitch when you've got a six-run lead before you even take the field," said Paul Byrd, who is now 2-1 after allowing three runs, two earned, on 10 hits in seven innings. "(The first inning) felt like a mini-rain delay, except we kept scoring runs."

For a second straight day, the Braves sent a starter packing with eight hits and eight runs tagged next to his name. Sunday's victim was Red Sox right-hander Derek Lowe; Monday's loser was Expos right-hander Zach Day.

Day was buried under a deluge of hits in the six-run first, none more harmful than Andruw Jones' first home run since June 1. In addition to Jones' long ball, Nick Green doubled in a run before leaving with a muscle strain in the middle of his back, All-Star Johnny Estrada continued his torrid pace with men on base with a run-scoring single, and Adam LaRoche singled and scored.

"It's a completely opposite feeling from what we've felt for much of the first half," said Chipper Jones, who had a single and double and four RBI. "What I like is we're putting some runs on the board early."

From the fourth inning Sunday through the second inning Monday, the Braves outscored the Red Sox and Expos 17-1.

Quite a turnaround for a team that headed into Monday's game with a collective .258 batting average.

"Things are going our way really good right now," manager Bobby Cox said. "Tonight we had every break go our way."

Chipper Jones put the Braves ahead, 8-0, in the second with a two-run double, then he picked up two more RBI with a single in the three-run sixth.

Reach Bill Zack at BZack30143@aol.com.