ATLANTA – The Braves moved closer to their first playoff berth since 2005, beating the Florida Marlins 5-1 Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep behind Derek Lowe’s fifth win of September and Brooks Conrad’s three-run homer.
In its final season under manager Bobby Cox, Atlanta began the day 1 1/2 games ahead of San Diego in the NL wild-card race.
Atlanta (90-69) reached 90 wins for the 15th time in 25 seasons under the 69-year-old Cox, who is retiring after the season. The Braves won 14 straight division titles under Cox but have missed out on the playoffs for four straight seasons.
Atlanta closes at home against NL East champion Philadelphia with a three-game series starting Friday night.