The Atlanta Braves won both games of a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs in Major League Baseball action Thursday. Atlanta's Andruw Jones hit his league leading 27th home run in the second game as Atlanta posted its fifth straight win, 9-4. The Braves won the first game 6-0. The Cubs have lost eight in a row.
Elsewhere in the National League, the New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 3-2. Florida first baseman Carlos Delgado recorded a pinch-hit grand slam as the Marlins defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 11-3. The Colorado Rockies got a home win against the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-5, and the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1. The San Diego Padres ended a three-game slide with a 7-5 win over the Houston Astros. The Arizona Diamondbacks won 2-1 against the St. Louis Cardinals on their last at-bat, as outfielder Luis Gonzales hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-1.
In the American League, the surging New York Yankees notched their fifth straight victory with a 7-2 win over the Cleveland Indians. New York first baseman Jason Giambi hit his third home run in as many games.
Elsewhere in the American League, the Boston Red Sox fell to the Baltimore Orioles 3-1. Toronto outfielder Vernon Wells hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning to lift the Blue Jays over the Oakland Athletics 4-2. The Detroit Tigers sent the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to their ninth straight loss, 6-4. The Kansas City Royals won their third straight game, beating the Minnesota Twins 8-5. And the Seattle Mariners thumped the Los Angeles Angels 10-2. Seattle pitcher Joel Pineiro threw a complete game in the win.