Andruw Jones and Brian Jordan each homered for the second time this season in the the Braves' 3-0 win over the Phillies Sunday at Turner Field that gave Atlanta its first series win in the three-game weekend set.

Not to be overlooked was the contribution of Odalis Perez who got his first Major League victory since June 8, 1999.

"He kept us right there all day long," Braves manager Bobby Cox said of Perez. "He was very sharp."

Perez (1-1), sidelined for the 2000 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August of 1999, threw seven scoreless innings, allowing just four hits in his second start of the season.

"It felt good," Perez said. "I was combining my changeup with the fastball and getting first-pitch strikes."

The Braves will try to expand on their winnings ways beginning Monday when Florida comes to town for a three-game series.

April 13, 2001

Unusual position

The Braves found themselves in the odd position of coming off a difficult loss in New York on Thursday to open a weekend series against the first place team in the division -- Philadelphia.

For one thing, the Braves are accustomed to being the ones on top in the National League East. For another, nobody is used to seeing the Phillies in that role.

So it's another cold splash of reality for Atlanta, which blew a golden opportunity Thursday night at Shea Stadium in the top of the 10th and wound up losing to the Mets 1-0 in the bottom of the same inning.

Atlanta had runners on second and third in the 10 with one out and failed to score when Armando Benitez got Brian Jordan to hit a shallow fly ball to left and escaped the inning when Javy Lopez grounded out.

Tom Glavine (0-1) was set to oppose Randy Wolf (0-0) in Friday's opener.

NOT THE SAME: These aren't the Atlanta Braves we once knew. Certainly not losing five of their first eight games, and certainly not the way they've been swinging.

Through Wednesday's 2-0 win over the New York Mets, the Braves had scored four runs or more exactly once. Second baseman Quilvio Veras, who had a .413 on-base percentage last season, collected two hits in his first 30 at-bats this season. Outfielder B.J. Surhoff was at .167, Chipper Jones (a career .307 hitter in April) was at .185 and Brian Jordan, who drove in 115 runs two years ago before sliding in 2000, was at .200.

For the first time in a long time, the Braves don't have a slugger like Fred McGriff or Andres Galarraga in the middle of their lineup. And while they lack power, the Braves aren't being patient enough at the plate -- which is a bad combination. Shortstop Rafael Furcal and Veras, the Nos. 1 and 2 hitters, combined to strike out 15 times while drawing only four walks.

SMOLTZ UPDATE: The harness remained on Atlanta's John Smoltz as he returned from reconstructive elbow surgery. He will be examined by renowned Alabama orthopedist Dr. James Andrews again on Tuesday and still isn't allowed to throw off of a mound.

COX SHUFFLES LINEUP: Andruw Jones did not look too happy when Cox filled out his lineup card Monday. Dropping from fourth to sixth, Jones wasn't kidding when he summed up his and the team's offensive woes.

"I'm not the only one not hitting," said Jones, whose average stood at .242 with just one RBI entering Wednesday.

Cox was hoping familiarity would strike a positive chord with Chipper Jones and Brian Jordan. Chipper was back in the No. 3 hole, where he has batted almost his entire career, and Jordan replaced Andruw in the cleanup spot, where he drove in a career-high 115 runs in 1999, his first season with the Braves.

"In the past we've had one or two guys get hot and carry the team, and right now it's not happening," Jordan told The Atlanta Constitution. "Rico (Brogna) is the only one hot, and nobody's on base for him to drive in."

Andruw Jones hit .303 with 36 homers and 104 RBI last year, his best career numbers in all three categories.

SURHOFF TRIES TO SHAKE LATEST AILMENT: After coming to the Braves in a major trade to beat the July 31 deadline last year, left fielder B.J. Surhoff still wants to show Atlanta fans his potential.

Back spasms forced him from the lineup last weekend as the Braves lost two games at Florida. What's uncanny about Surhoff's bad luck is that he had played in 427 consecutive games before Baltimore dealt him for right-handed phenom Luis Rivera.

Surhoff appeared in 18 games for the Braves, during which time he was nailed in the ribs with a pitch and actually played with torn knee cartilage. He was relegated to pinch-hitting duty for most of September, though, when he pulled a quadriceps.

Surhoff said the back spasms were worst of all the pain he's suffered in Atlanta.

"Everybody's back gets sore, but not like this," he said told the Morris News Service. "This feels like a very taut rope. Certain things are more acute. They may not sound as bad, but it's harder to play with."

BY THE NUMBERS: Second baseman Quilvio Veras was hardly celebrating after he ended a stretch of 20 at-bats without a hit. A single in the fourth inning Monday at New York ended the drought, but Veras still ended the game with an .067 average (2-for-30). Last year, before a torn knee ligament ended his season in July, Veras had a .410 on-base percentage and a .309 average. ... Glavine dropped to 3-9 lifetime at Pro Player Stadium when he suffered a 6-1 loss to the Marlins on Sunday. The left-hander has one victory in Miami since 1995. ... Equally (if not more so) uncanny is the lifetime average Mike Redmond, Florida's backup catcher, has against Glavine. Redmond hit his first career homer off the two-time Cy Young Award winner, improving his average to .652 (15-for-23).