“Sosa threw a real good ball game and made just a horrible pitch on Soriano,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said. “He got the ball elevated. That really changed the game around really quickly.”

The Braves jumped ahead 2-0 in the first inning, but Sosa couldn’t hold the lead. Jose Guillen had a sacrifice fly in the third, and LeCroy led off the fourth with just his second homer of the season.

Atlanta went back on top with Todd Pratt’s first homer of the season in the fifth, and Sosa appeared to be in good shape when he retired the first two hitters in the sixth. But Royce Clayton doubled to right, and pitcher Mike O’Connor slapped a single to left for his first career hit and RBI.

Sosa got two quick strikes on Soriano, then left the next pitch up — a familiar problem all season. Soriano drove it over the center field wall for his 11th homer.

That was it for Sosa, who has already given up eight homers in just 29 innings. A year ago, he surrendered 12 homers in 134 innings.

O’Connor was lifted after he gave up a leadoff single to Andruw Jones in the sixth. Jon Rauch got out of the inning, and Gary Majewski escaped a major jam in the seventh when Jones flied out with the bases loaded.

Notes: Chipper Jones has a 12-game hitting streak. ... Francoeur’s hitting streak equals the longest of his young career. ... Washington C Brian Schneider went on the disabled list for the first time in his pro career. He’s out for at least 15 days with a strained left hamstring. ... 1B Robert Fick, who was called up from an injury rehab assignment at Triple-A New Orleans, arrived at Turner Field during the game and was in uniform. ... Braves LHP Horacio Ramirez pitched 4 2-3 innings during a rehab start at Class A Rome. He gave up five hits, walked one and was charged with two earned runs. ... Pratt hit his first homer since Aug. 6, 2005, when he played for Philadelphia. ... The Nationals are assured of losing the three-game series, which drops them to 1-10 with one split in their last 12 series against the Braves.

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