Chipper powers Braves over Diamondbacks

The win in the finale of a seven-game trip left the Braves with a 2-5 record and a split of the four-game Arizona series after being swept at San Francisco.

"It feels good," Medlen (1-2) said after allowing four hits, one run and walk in his third major league start, a significant upgrade over the youthful right-hander's erratic work in his first two outings.

"Our team needed a win," said Medlen, who had a one-hit shutout through five innings. "And personally, it's everything I ever dreamed of."

Leadoff man Kelly Johnson and No. 2 hitter Yunel Escobar each had three doubles during the first five innings, and Jones had three hits and four RBIs in his first three at-bats as the Braves quickly built a 9-0 lead.

After the Braves scored two runs in the first inning, Medlen walked Arizona leadoff man Felipe Lopez on first pitches in the bottom of the first.

That's when Jones walked over from his third-base position to talk to the 23-year-old pitcher, who in his first two starts had issued seven walks in 8-1/3 innings, plus hit a batter with bases loaded and threw two wild pitches.

"You got the sense in his first couple of starts that he was pitching away from contact," Jones said. "He's got to get ahead in the count and use his full repertoire. ... After the first walk, I said, 'You've got to start getting ahead of guys.' "

Medlen said a discussion with Derek Lowe on Thursday helped him understand the importance of slowing down and not letting nervous energy hurt him. And he credited the message from Jones for getting him refocused quickly.

"I was just trying to be aggressive" after that chat, he said. "Chipper came out and got in my face. He said, 'Come on, throw strikes. You need to get ahead of these guys.' Maybe Chipper should get in my face more often."

Lopez was erased immediately when Medlen struck out the next batter, Augie Ojeda, and Brian McCann threw out Lopez trying to steal. Beginning with Ojeda, Medlen retired 14 of the next 15 batters, seven on strikeouts.

He gave up a run on three hits in the sixth but escaped further damage by striking out Mark Reynolds with runners at second and third.

"He pitched a great ballgame," manager Bobby Cox said. "Got out of the first inning with no damage, after going to 3-2 with about every hitter. After that, he threw a lot of strikes. He came highly regarded, and it showed today why they were excited about the kid."

Johnson and Escobar were the first pair of Braves to have three doubles apiece in a game since Glenn Hubbard and Andres Thomas in 1986.

"Guys in front of me did a great job setting the table all day," Jones said. "They set the table, and we tried to clear it."

The rocked Arizona righty Max Scherzer (2-4) for eight runs and 10 hits in 3-2/3 innings, the shortest start of his career. On May 16 in Atlanta, Scherzer threw six scoreless innings of four-hit ball against the Braves.

He was replaced Sunday after giving up a three-homer to Anderson and hitting Casey Kotchman in the leg with a pitch.

The Braves jumped on Scherzer early, when Johnson doubled to start the first inning and scored on an Escobar double. Jones' RBI single made it a 2-0 lead seven pitches into the game.

This time, the Braves didn't blow it like they blew a 2-0 lead in Saturday's 3-2, 11-inning loss.

"Even though we only won two games on the trip, just a win like this to end it sits so much better with everybody," Johnson said.