Second-half hopes center on Joneses

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Braves keep waiting to see the Chipper Jones who batted .330 and hit 38 home runs in 2001, or the Andruw Jones who hit .303 and knocked in 104 runs in 2000.

Those Joneses were igniters, decisive forces who could single-handedly turn around a game or a series with one swing. The Braves have caught only glimpses of those hitters this season, but if they are to win a 13th-consecutive division championship, the Joneses will have to show up more often in baseball's second half, which starts tonight.

"We've got some guys who can have better second halves, that's for sure, and they ought to look at it that way," manager Bobby Cox said. "Instead of looking at their career averages, just do in the second half what they normally do. The Joneses will get it turned around."

It's hard to imagine Chipper Jones arriving at an All-Star break with a .214 average or Andruw Jones batting .216 with runners in scoring position, but that's the reality for a team that stayed in the NL East race despite a lack of production from the Joneses.

"Guys like Nick Green and Chuck Thomas and Johnny Estrada, they've carried us and done the job that others are used to doing," closer John Smoltz said. "There were a lot of bright spots for us in the first half. All in all, it's pretty amazing when you think about what we didn't have going for us, versus what we did have. Fortunately, we're still in it."

The Braves made up 5 games on the division leaders in the past 18 days and enter the second half one game behind first-place Philadelphia.

While Florida and the Phillies tangle at Citizens Bank Park this weekend, the Braves open an eight-game homestand against last-place Montreal. They will complete the homestand by playing two games against the Phillies and Pittsburgh.

Help is on its way for an offense that averaged 4.8 runs in the first half. Second baseman Marcus Giles, who broke his collarbone May 15, is expected to be activated today. That means Green will likely go to the bench and infielder Jesse Garcia will return to Triple-A Richmond.

Giles was batting .339 at the time of his injury. Thanks to contributions from Green (.280, 24 RBI), Thomas (.348, 9 RBI) and Estrada (.332, 47 RBI), the Braves head into the second half on their best roll of the season. Winners of six of seven and 12 of 15, they have not been as close to first place since April 19.

Reach Bill Zack at bzack30143@aol.com.

In tonight's second-half opener, the Braves face the Expos in the first of an eight-game homestand.