Bravesworld.com | Atlanta Braves News, braves Scores, Game Recaps & Commentary - <div>After Braves third baseman Chipper Jones castigated himself for his costly error in Saturday's loss against the Houston Astros, he warned that it's important for the struggling Braves to not let emotions and frustration take a toll so early in the season. </div>"I booted a tailor-made double play, and they scored three runs after it," said Jones, whose fielding error fueled a three-run fourth inning that sent the Astros to a 5-1 win at Turner Field. "We had an opportunity to keep them at bay, and that play helped take us out of the ballgame." The game was delayed by rain for 97 minutes in the bottom of the second inning, after Friday night's series opener was delayed just over two hours for rain. The skies pretty much matched the mood in the postgame clubhouse of the Braves (11-12), who have dropped six of their past eight home games and need to win Sunday afternoon's series finale to avoid dropping their third home series out of four. "That's how it goes when you're hovering around .500 and not catching a lot of breaks," Braves reliever Buddy Carlyle said of the fourth-inning unraveling. Carlyle (0-1) was charged with three runs (one earned) in three innings after replacing starter Jair Jurrjens, who gave up one run and four hits in two innings before the delay. The Astros got just one inning out of ace Roy Oswalt before the delay. Instead of taking advantage of Oswalt's early exit, the Braves got sloppy. They have scored two runs or fewer 10 times in a 6-11 skid, and hope to get a boost from expected returns from the disabled list by left fielder Garret Anderson on Tuesday and catcher Brian McCann on Friday. They had a double by Jeff Francoeur and a bunt single by Kelly Johnson to start the second inning, but David Ross and Brandon Jones struck out. Their only run came when Francoeur came home on a wild pitch. They got their leadoff batter on base in the third and fifth innings and failed to score either time. Francouer grounded into an inning-ending double play with two on in the third, and Jordan Schafer was picked off after getting too big a lead following his leadoff single in the fifth. "The offense --- there's not continuity, no flow," Jones said. "We get a leadoff guy on, and we don't get a bunt down; we get picked off, a double play ... just something happens to thwart a possible big inning. When you do it time and time again, it's deflating. "Guys are trying, but it's just not happening. Avoiding over-frustration is important right now. Because I'm teetering on breaking something right now myself." Jones saved his harshest criticism for his own misplay on Miguel Tejada's grounder in the fourth. "There's no excuse," Jones said. "I don't know what happened. The ball was there, and then it wasn't. I can't live with not making the routine play." Houston AB R H BI BB SO AVG. K.Matsui 2b 5 0 2 1 0 1 .250 Bourn cf 5 0 1 1 0 1 .278 Berkman 1b 5 1 1 1 0 0 .167 Ca.Lee lf 4 1 2 0 0 0 .276 Michaels lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .263 Tejada ss 4 1 0 0 0 1 .289 Pence rf 4 1 3 0 0 0 .310 Blum 3b 3 0 1 0 0 0 .296 Sampson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Ja.Smith ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Brocail p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Hawkins p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- I.Rodriguez c 4 1 2 1 0 0 .250 Oswalt p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .111 F.Paulino p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167 Erstad ph 0 0 0 1 0 0 .167 Byrdak p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Keppinger 3b 2 0 0 0 0 0 .379 Totals 38 5 12 5 0 3 Atlanta AB R H BI BB SO AVG. Schafer cf 5 0 2 0 0 3 .270 Escobar ss 2 0 0 0 2 1 .278 Parr p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- M.Diaz ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .214 C.Jones 3b 3 0 0 0 1 0 .292 Kotchman 1b 3 0 1 0 0 0 .289 O'Flaherty p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Infante ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 .356 Francoeur rf 4 1 1 0 0 0 .286 K.Johnson 2b 3 0 2 0 1 0 .222 D.Ross c 4 0 0 0 0 3 .281 B.Jones lf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .273 Jurrjens p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .111 Norton ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 .067 Carlyle p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Prado 1b 1 0 0 0 1 0 .333 Totals 32 1 7 0 6 9 Houston 100 300 001 --- 5 12 0 Atlanta 010 000 000 --- 1 7 2 E: C.Jones 2 (4). LOB: Houston 7, Atlanta 10. 2B: I.Rodriguez (4), Schafer (6), Francoeur (3), K.Johnson (3). 3B: Bourn (3). HR: Berkman (6), off Jurrjens. RBIs: K.Matsui (9), Bourn (5), Berkman (12), I.Rodriguez (9), Erstad (2). CS: Pence (2), Schafer (1). SF: Erstad. DP: Houston 1, Atlanta 1. Houston IP H R ER BB SO ERA Oswalt 1 0 0 0 1 2 3.82 F.Paulino 2 3 1 1 2 3 2.75 Byrdak W, 1-0 2 fl 2 0 0 2 0 2.08 Sampson 1 (TM) 1 0 0 0 1 1.17 Brocail 1 1 0 0 0 1 5.06 Hawkins 1 0 0 0 1 2 3.27 Atlanta IP H R ER BB SO ERA Jurrjens 2 4 1 1 0 0 1.89 Carlyle L, 0-1 3 4 3 1 0 2 6.10 O'Flaherty 2 2 0 0 0 0 3.52 Parr 2 2 1 1 0 1 4.50 T: 2:48 (Rain delay: 1:37). A: 28,203 (49,743).

After Braves third baseman Chipper Jones castigated himself for his costly error in Saturday's loss against the Houston Astros, he warned that it's important for the struggling Braves to not let emotions and frustration take a toll so early in the season.

"I booted a tailor-made double play, and they scored three runs after it," said Jones, whose fielding error fueled a three-run fourth inning that sent the Astros to a 5-1 win at Turner Field. "We had an opportunity to keep them at bay, and that play helped take us out of the ballgame."

The game was delayed by rain for 97 minutes in the bottom of the second inning, after Friday night's series opener was delayed just over two hours for rain.

The skies pretty much matched the mood in the postgame clubhouse of the Braves (11-12), who have dropped six of their past eight home games and need to win Sunday afternoon's series finale to avoid dropping their third home series out of four.

"That's how it goes when you're hovering around .500 and not catching a lot of breaks," Braves reliever Buddy Carlyle said of the fourth-inning unraveling.

Carlyle (0-1) was charged with three runs (one earned) in three innings after replacing starter Jair Jurrjens, who gave up one run and four hits in two innings before the delay. The Astros got just one inning out of ace Roy Oswalt before the delay.

Instead of taking advantage of Oswalt's early exit, the Braves got sloppy. They have scored two runs or fewer 10 times in a 6-11 skid, and hope to get a boost from expected returns from the disabled list by left fielder Garret Anderson on Tuesday and catcher Brian McCann on Friday.

They had a double by Jeff Francoeur and a bunt single by Kelly Johnson to start the second inning, but David Ross and Brandon Jones struck out. Their only run came when Francoeur came home on a wild pitch.

They got their leadoff batter on base in the third and fifth innings and failed to score either time. Francouer grounded into an inning-ending double play with two on in the third, and Jordan Schafer was picked off after getting too big a lead following his leadoff single in the fifth.

"The offense --- there's not continuity, no flow," Jones said. "We get a leadoff guy on, and we don't get a bunt down; we get picked off, a double play ... just something happens to thwart a possible big inning. When you do it time and time again, it's deflating.

"Guys are trying, but it's just not happening. Avoiding over-frustration is important right now. Because I'm teetering on breaking something right now myself."

Jones saved his harshest criticism for his own misplay on Miguel Tejada's grounder in the fourth.

"There's no excuse," Jones said. "I don't know what happened. The ball was there, and then it wasn't. I can't live with not making the routine play."

Houston AB R H BI BB SO AVG.

K.Matsui 2b 5 0 2 1 0 1 .250

Bourn cf 5 0 1 1 0 1 .278

Berkman 1b 5 1 1 1 0 0 .167

Ca.Lee lf 4 1 2 0 0 0 .276

Michaels lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .263

Tejada ss 4 1 0 0 0 1 .289

Pence rf 4 1 3 0 0 0 .310

Blum 3b 3 0 1 0 0 0 .296

Sampson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Ja.Smith ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Brocail p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---

Hawkins p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---

I.Rodriguez c 4 1 2 1 0 0 .250

Oswalt p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .111

F.Paulino p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167

Erstad ph 0 0 0 1 0 0 .167

Byrdak p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---

Keppinger 3b 2 0 0 0 0 0 .379

Totals 38 5 12 5 0 3

Atlanta AB R H BI BB SO AVG.

Schafer cf 5 0 2 0 0 3 .270

Escobar ss 2 0 0 0 2 1 .278

Parr p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---

M.Diaz ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .214

C.Jones 3b 3 0 0 0 1 0 .292

Kotchman 1b 3 0 1 0 0 0 .289

O'Flaherty p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---

Infante ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 .356

Francoeur rf 4 1 1 0 0 0 .286

K.Johnson 2b 3 0 2 0 1 0 .222

D.Ross c 4 0 0 0 0 3 .281

B.Jones lf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .273

Jurrjens p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .111

Norton ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 .067

Carlyle p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Prado 1b 1 0 0 0 1 0 .333

Totals 32 1 7 0 6 9

Houston 100 300 001 --- 5 12 0

Atlanta 010 000 000 --- 1 7 2

E: C.Jones 2 (4). LOB: Houston 7, Atlanta 10. 2B: I.Rodriguez (4), Schafer (6), Francoeur (3), K.Johnson (3). 3B: Bourn (3). HR: Berkman (6), off Jurrjens. RBIs: K.Matsui (9), Bourn (5), Berkman (12), I.Rodriguez (9), Erstad (2). CS: Pence (2), Schafer (1). SF: Erstad.

DP: Houston 1, Atlanta 1.

Houston IP H R ER BB SO ERA

Oswalt 1 0 0 0 1 2 3.82

F.Paulino 2 3 1 1 2 3 2.75

Byrdak W, 1-0 2 fl 2 0 0 2 0 2.08

Sampson 1 (TM) 1 0 0 0 1 1.17

Brocail 1 1 0 0 0 1 5.06

Hawkins 1 0 0 0 1 2 3.27

Atlanta IP H R ER BB SO ERA

Jurrjens 2 4 1 1 0 0 1.89

Carlyle L, 0-1 3 4 3 1 0 2 6.10

O'Flaherty 2 2 0 0 0 0 3.52

Parr 2 2 1 1 0 1 4.50

T: 2:48 (Rain delay: 1:37). A: 28,203 (49,743).