Atlanta, GA (My Sportsbook) - Andruw Jones homered to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Atlanta Braves an 8-7 win over the Washington Nationals at Turner Field.

Jones' homer broke a 7-7 tie and gave him a league-leading 44 for the season. He ended just 1-for-5 with two RBI as the Braves earned a split of this four- game set and maintained their four-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies for the top spot in the NL East.

Chipper Jones and Jeff Francoeur also homered for Atlanta, which has won five of its last eight contests.

Vinny Castilla ended 2-for-5 with four RBI for the Nationals, who have dropped four of six and fell three games behind the wild card leading Phillies. Jose Guillen went 1-for-3 with three runs scored for Washington, which overcame a 7-1 deficit only to lose its 27th one-run game this season.

With the game tied at 7-7, Andruw Jones crushed 1-2 pitch from Luis Ayala (8-7) over the wall in left-center for the difference. It was just his second game-ending homer this season and fifth of his career.

"I was just looking for a pitch to drive," said Andruw Jones. "I had a couple to swing at. I missed the first one, he came back with a high sinker and I just got a good swing on it."

The blast made a winner of pitcher Kyle Davies, who was recalled from Triple-A Richmond prior to the game. Davies (7-3) pitched three innings of two-hit ball.

The Braves jumped out to a 7-1 lead after three innings.

Chipper Jones smacked a two-run first inning homer. Then, after Brian Schneider singled home Guillen in the second to make it a 2-1 game, the Braves exploded for five runs in the third.

Rafael Furcal, who began the inning with a single and later moved to third on a Marcus Giles base hit and a Chipper Jones walk, scored on a Tony Armas wild pitch. Giles then scored on an Andruw Jones ground out and Francoeur added a three-run homer later in the inning for the six-run lead.

Washington began to mount its comeback in the fourth inning when Castilla singled home Jamey Carroll and Guillen to make it a 7-3 game.

A four-run seventh by the Nationals then tied things up. Jim Brower started the inning on the hill for the Braves and was greeted with a lead-off double by Marlon Byrd. One out later, Brower hit Brad Wilkerson with a pitch. Carroll then came through with a two-out single to load the bases for Guillen, who was walked by Brower.

Macay McBride came on in relief of Brower and walked the only batter he faced, Nick Johnson, to force in another run. Danny Kolb was then called upon and immediately issued a two-run single to Castilla that tied the game at 7-7.

"It was very frustrating when you come back from such a deficit, tie the game and then lose it," said Castilla. "Games like that you should win."

Armas avoided the loss, surrendering seven runs on seven hits in four innings.

Atlanta starter John Smoltz struggled through five innings, yielding three runs on seven hits.

Game Notes

Prior to the game, the Braves activated OF Brian Jordan from the 15-day DL. Atlanta also recalled pitchers Davies and Brower, third baseman Andy Marte and catcher Brayan Pena as the roster have been expanded...Nationals second baseman Jose Vidro left the game in the fourth inning due to pain in his surgically repaired right knee...Furcal ended 3-for-3.