Braves' Jurrjens keeps Marlins floundering

Jair Jurrjens is all Atlanta needed to come up with a rare sweep of the Marlins in Florida.

Jurrjens threw seven solid innings and drove in a run as the Braves handed the Marlins their eighth straight loss with a 3-2 win last night. Alex Gonzalez also drove in a run with a double as the Braves completed a three-game sweep at Sun Life Stadium for the first time since May 2-4, 1995.

"They always pitch really good against us and this is a tough lineup," Jurrjens said. "To come here and try to battle this heat is not easy. These guys play us like we are playing in the World Series."

The eight-game losing streak for the Marlins is their longest skid since they also dropped eight in a row Aug. 15-22, 2007.

"When you go back, it's one pitch, one play, it's one something during the game," Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said. "That clutch hit never shows. Then again, they're battling out there. The intensity is out there. We need to keep playing with that intensity until we get out of this."

Jurrjens (8-2), the league leader with a 1.82 ERA, allowed two runs and six hits. Eric O'Flaherty tossed a scoreless eighth and Jonny Venters pitched the ninth to earn his second save in three opportunities as Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez gave closer Craig Kimbrel the night off after a 28-pitch appearance Wednesday.

Chris Volstad (2-6) had his no-hit bid ended in the sixth on Matt Young's leadoff single. Young hit a 75-foot dribbler down the first-base line, and the ball traced the line as catcher John Buck raced toward it but let it run its course until it stopped in fair territory on the dirt. Volstad had retired 10 straight before Young's hit. Young scored three batters later when Gonzalez smacked a double off the leftfield wall for a 1-0 lead.

Volstad unraveled in the seventh when he allowed four hits, walked a batter, and threw a wild pitch resulting in a run. One of the hits was an RBI single by Jurrjens, which gave the Braves a 3-0 edge.

In other games:

* At Pittsburgh, Chris Young hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning, four Arizona pitchers combined for a five-hit shutout and the Diamondbacks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 2-0 win over the Pirates.

Before the game, the Pirates placed Chris Snyder on the disabled list with a herniated disk, meaning the team's top three catchers are injured.

* At Milwaukee, Jonathon Niese (4-6) pitched effectively into the eighth and the New York Mets took two of three games against the best home team in the majors with a 4-1 victory over the Brewers.

* At Houston, ex-Astro Lance Berkman broke a tie with an RBI single and pinch-hitter Daniel Descalso had a two-run double in St. Louis' five-run sixth in the Cardinals' 9-2 victory over the Astros.

* At Denver, Troy Tulowitzki drove in four runs, including a tying two-run single in Colorado's five-run seventh inning, and the Rockies rallied past the Los Angeles Dodgers, 9-7.

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Scottsdale police say Arizona Diamondbacks television announcer Mark Grace was arrested on Memorial Day on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Police say the former big-leaguer, 46, was arrested on suspicion of driving with a blood-alcohol level of more than the legal limit of 0.08 percent.