Braves: No magic this time for Sosa

ATLANTA - In recent weeks, Jorge Sosa had evolved into the Atlanta rotation's Houdini or Copperfield, wiggling out of tight spots without much damage incurred.

Note though, if you will, that magic isn't really a relevant tool when the ball is flying out of the ballpark. Got to keep it inside the walls to have a shot.

Arizona struck for three homers off Sosa in the first three innings - Tony Clark, in the midst of a quiet season of resurgence, popped two of them - and the Diamondbacks beat Atlanta, 8-0, on Friday at Turner Field.

Claudio Vargas' seven scoreless innings for Arizona handed the Braves their second loss to an National League West team in as many nights. They're now 2-2 on the homestand against sub-.500 teams from baseball's worst division.

Sosa looked a lot like the guy who had struggled through 41 career starts with Tampa Bay than the pitcher who's tested Bobby Cox's nerves, eventually soothing them with victories.

Before entering his role as a spot starter in June, the right-handed Sosa (7-2) had loads of problems getting left-handers out in the bullpen for the Braves and Devil Rays.

That trouble spot bubbled up again with homers by Clark in the first and third innings, his only two at-bats against Sosa. Clark is now 4-for-4 with three homers lifetime against Sosa.

"Clark hits him well," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "Clark's hit a lot of guys well."

With 21 homers, 61 RBI and a .320 batting average, Clark, a journeyman first baseman, is quietly having a solid season in the desert after fighting in various hubs to get into a lineup on a regular basis.

To Sosa's credit, the first homer shouldn't have happened. Kelly Johnson misplayed a ball in left field that allowed Chad Tracy to reach and Clark to get an at-bat with two down in the first.

That at-bat resulted in a 412-foot shot into the Braves' bullpen in right field.

"We made a mistake in the first inning, it cost us two runs and it got away after that," said third baseman Chipper Jones, who went 2-for-4 in his first start since he suffered a shoulder injury Aug. 2. "Jorge just couldn't recover."

Shawn Green chimed in with a solo blast in the second. Clark and Green, by no coincidence, are left-handed.

"You make mistakes to good hitters and, at some point, they're going to hit them," Jones said. "That's a pretty potent offensive lineup over there. If they bring their sticks to the yard on any given night, they're going to put up some runs."

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