Franco proves age is only a number

ATLANTA - Of the things Braves third baseman Chipper Jones sees himself doing in 13 years, hitting a home run is not one of them.

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"I'll be watching my kids hit home runs maybe. I ain't hitting no home runs at 46," said Jones, who's 33. "You kidding me? I'll be collecting my pension at 46."

Atlanta's venerable veteran, first baseman Julio Franco, isn't reeling in a retirement check just yet. He's still got work left to do at the plate.

Franco's two-out, opposite-field home run in the sixth helped distance the Braves from Andy Pettitte and Houston in Atlanta's 4-1 victory in front of 36,452 fans at Turner Field.

The Braves (19-11) have won 12 of 15 dating back to April 21, when they were a game below .500. They've now won four in a row and, after losses Saturday by St. Louis and Los Angeles, own the National League's best record.

"We're playing better baseball. Our hitters have started coming around," Franco said. "The team is coming along. The pieces of the puzzle are coming together."

Some had wondered if Franco's hitting voodoo had worn off as his average dipped nearer and nearer to .200.

Even so, Braves manager Bobby Cox held firm before Saturday's game, saying he never thought about playing hot-hitting lefty Adam LaRoche against left-handed Andy Pettitte.

Instead, he played the percentages and went with his clubhouse grandpa, Franco.

Franco responded by going 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

He now has eight hits in 17 at-bats (.471) against Pettitte (2-3), who allowed three runs in seven innings.

It was the first time the Braves have beaten Pettitte, the longtime New York Yankee, in the regular season. He was previously 4-0 with a 3.38 ERA against Atlanta.

Left-hander Horacio Ramirez had a lot to do with that.

Ramirez (1-2) threw his best game of the young season, going seven scoreless innings against an Astros lineup that continued to struggle at the plate.

"Horacio came through and threw good after a long layoff," Cox said.

Lance Berkman's ground-rule double plated the Astros' only run of the game, although they did load the bases on closer Dan Kolb in the ninth. Berkman's hot shot also sent Franco to the X-ray room after Atlanta's win.

The test came back negative.

"Old bones get brittle," Chipper Jones said to Franco, smiling from his seat two lockers away.

Contact Travis Haney at travis.haney@morris.com.