Braves 4, Athletics 2

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Henry Blanco couldn't remember the last time he executed a successful squeeze play.

``You'll have to look it up on the Internet,'' the Atlanta catcher said. ``They have all that stuff there.''

Blanco's bunt in the seventh inning produced an insurance run in the Braves' 4-2 victory over Oakland on Thursday.

``That was totally my fault,'' said Oakland starter Barry Zito, who fielded the bunt down the third-base line. ``That's so rare in the American League. It's the first time it's happened to me in the big leagues.''

Gary Sheffield and Andruw Jones each homered and combined with the bunt to gave the Braves a 3-0 lead.

``Zito is one of the best pitchers I've seen,'' Braves manager Bobby Cox said. ``He can strike you out in a heartbeat. I thought we had a better chance with the squeeze.''

Blanco preferred to talk about Braves starter Shane Reynolds, who allowed two runs on six hits over 6 2-3 innings to win his fourth straight decision.

``He was mixing it up pretty good and throwing a lot of fastballs,'' Blanco said. ``He was controlling the corners.''

Reynolds (5-1) effectively kept the A's from mounting any offense. The only leadoff hitter to get on against him was erased by a double play and all six hits came with two outs.

``He was a frustrating pitcher,'' Oakland's Eric Chavez said. ``We could hit him but nothing happened.''

Eric Byrnes drove in both A's runs with a single off Reynolds in the seventh.

Reynolds, who pitched most of last season with a ruptured disc in his back before surgery ended his season in June, did not allow a runner past first base through the first six innings.

``I want to do my part every time I go out there,'' he said. ``During the course of the year you have an offense here that can carry you for a while.''

Ray King got one out, and Darren Holmes and John Smoltz each pitched an inning. Smoltz recorded his 25th save in 26 opportunities.

Zito (7-5), last year's AL Cy Young Award winner, didn't make many mistakes but still dropped his first interleague game in eight starts. He gave up three runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts over seven innings.

Oakland lost its third consecutive series for the first time in nearly a year.

Javy Lopez added an RBI single in the eighth.< ^Notes:@ The Braves have 106 home runs this season and are on a pace for 268. The major league record is 264 by Seattle in 1997. ... Braves SS Rafael Furcal was scratched from the starting lineup with a sore right wrist and forearm, and Chipper Jones was out of the starting lineup for a second straight day with a sore left wrist. ... A's SS Miguel Tejada snapped an 0-for-15 streak with a sixth-inning single. ... Chavez went 0-for-4 to end a nine-game hitting streak.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)