July 5, 2002

ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Braves soared to the top of the NL East without much help from Javy Lopez. If he continues his recent hot streak, who knows how far they might go.

Lopez came through for the second straight game, hitting an RBI double to snap a seventh-inning tie and send Atlanta to a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night.

The Braves won for the 13th time in 15 games and improved to 54-31, tied with Seattle for the best record in the majors. The Cubs lost for the eighth time in 10 games.

"I don't know how many times I can do it," Lopez said.

He tied a season high with three hits to raise his average to .245, and drove in two runs. Two of the hits were bloops into shallow right field, which Lopez hopes signals a change in his luck.

"Those two bloops were nice. I've hit so many balls hard this year that were caught or called an error," he said. "I hope this gets me going."

Mike Remlinger (6-0) struck out Sammy Sosa with the bases loaded in the seventh to preserve a 1-all tie.

Mark Prior (2-2) allowed just three hits through six innings but gave up a leadoff single to Chipper Jones in the seventh and hit Andruw Jones with a 1-2 pitch. After Vinny Castilla popped to third, Lopez lined a fastball off the base of the wall in right-center for a 2-1 lead.

Chipper Jones scored easily, but a one-hop relay from second baseman Mark Bellhorn nailed Andruw Jones at the plate by a couple of steps.

"I can't wait for that fastball down the middle," Lopez said.

On Wednesday night, Lopez hit a game-winning infield single in the ninth to give Atlanta a 6-5 victory over Montreal.

"I'll be glad to do it every day," he said.

The Braves added three in the eighth, helped by third baseman Bill Mueller's two-out error. With runners at the corners, Mueller couldn't handle Castilla's bouncer, allowing one run to score.

Lopez and Keith Lockhart followed with RBI singles off Tom Gordon, extending the lead to 5-1. John Smoltz got out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the ninth for his 29th save in 32 chances.

Prior, 21, and Jason Marquis, 23, were locked in a 1-1 tie through six innings. The Braves scored in the first on a sacrifice fly by Gary Sheffield, and the Cubs tied it in the third on Sosa's RBI groundout.

Marquis struggled with his control, and it finally caught up to him in the seventh. He issued a leadoff walk to Todd Hundley, then walked Prior an out later. Remlinger came on to strike out Corey Patterson before Mueller loaded the bases with an infield single, bringing Sosa to the plate.

With flashbulbs popping all over the park, Sosa struck out looking, watching a changeup curl over the inside corner.

"With the bases loaded, regardless of who's hitting, you have to be aggressive," Remlinger said. "With Sammy hitting, you have to be aggressive and also try to make a pitch. I didn't want to go away again with a fastball, so I figured I'd throw the changeup in."

Sosa dropped his bat and looked skyward, but didn't appear to say anything to umpire Ed Rapuano.

"It was a hell of a pitch," Sosa said. "He made the call. What are you going to do?"

It was the second game in a row Remlinger got out of a jam. He struck out two with the bases loaded in the seventh Wednesday night against Montreal.

The Cubs threatened in the eighth against Chris Hammond, loading the bases on Bellhorn's check-swing infield single. The ball carried just out of Hammond's reach, and second baseman Lockhart collided with Darren Lewis when he charged for the ball.

But pinch-hitter Moises Alou flied out to end the inning.

"That's been us all year," Chicago manager Don Baylor said. "We load the bases three times and come away with no runs."

Prior gave up two sharp singles to Rafael Furcal and a bloop hit to Lopez through six innings, striking out five. After Furcal's second single in the third, Prior retired 10 of the next 11 batters before the Braves got to him in the seventh.

Even though he's been effective, Prior hasn't won since beating the Mariners 2-0 June 12.

"I was doing the same thing I've been doing ever since I was called up," he said. "I'm upset at myself, because I thought I was pitching well."