Glavine gets better of Smoltz

ATLANTA (Reuters) - The New York Mets completed a crucial three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves as Tom Glavine finally got the better of former team mate John Smoltz in a 3-2 win on Sunday.

After losing four straight games to the Philadelphia Phillies to see their National League East lead sliced to just two games, the Mets now lead the Phillies by four and the Braves by 7-½ with just 26 games left in the season.

Glavine finally got a win over Smoltz in the fifth career match-up between the two. They were team mates in Atlanta from 1988 to 2002, and are still close friends.

"I don't know that I pitched much better today than I did in any of the other times against those guys," Glavine told reporters after what may have been his final appearance in Atlanta. "I just got better results.

"It won't be the last competition between us," Glavine said about Smoltz, who plays golf against him on a regular basis. "For bragging rights it was nice to finally beat him. He's certainly had my number."

Glavine (12-6) pitched six strong innings to earn career win No. 302, allowing one run on five hits with two strikeouts and three walks.

Three relievers finished up, including Billy Wagner who earned his 30th save of the season despite allowing a run on two hits in the ninth.

Smoltz (12-7) surrendered three runs on nine hits over seven innings, striking out four and walking two.

"If you wanted any chance, any glimmer of hope, you had to win today," a dejected Smoltz said.

David Wright hit a two-run homer in the fifth off Smoltz to give the Mets a 3-1 lead, breaking a 1-1 tie, and had two of the Mets's nine hits. Moises Alou also had two hits and scored a run for New York.

Kelly Johnson had two hits and drove in a run for the Braves, who are also seven games back of the NL wild card and appeared destined to miss the playoffs for a second straight season.

*The Florida Marlins tied a franchise record with five home runs in a 7-6 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies blew a 5-0 lead while losing their second straight after a six-game winning streak to fall four games behind the New York Mets in the NL East.

*The Milwaukee Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 7-4 win. Prince Fielder hit his NL leading 40th homer of the season.

*The Chicago Cubs stayed a game and a half ahead of the Brewers and two up on the St Louis Cardinals with a 6-5 win over the Houston Astros.

*The San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks stayed tied for first place in the NL West as the Los Angeles Dodgers blanked the Padres 5-0 and the Colorado Rockies edged the D-Backs 4-3.