MIAMI (AP) — At least the Miami Marlins won't have to face Chipper Jones any more.
Kris Medlen pitched eight innings of four-hit ball and the Atlanta Braves won his start for the 21st straight time, beating the Marlins 3-0 on Wednesday night.
It was the 244th and final time that the Marlins faced Jones, who is retiring when the season ends. He went 1 for 4 in his finale at Miami, getting hit No. 2,721 to tie Lou Gehrig for 58th on baseball's career list.
How much has Jones tormented the Marlins for nearly two decades? No player has logged more games, hits, runs, home runs or RBIs against them than Jones has over his career.
"It's always fun facing him," Marlins starter Josh Johnson said. "He's one of the best hitters I've ever seen. It's always fun facing the best."
Well, maybe Wednesday wasn't entirely fun for Miami, which was shut out for the 16th time.
Medlen (9-1) lost the first two starts of his career in 2009. He hasn't taken a loss in any of his 26 starts since, with the Braves prevailing in the last 21 of those — making them the first team since the New York Yankees to have such a streak, according to STATS LLC. The Yankees won 22 straight times when Whitey Ford started from 1950 through 1953, a span interrupted by his service during the Korean War.
Medlen tried to dismiss any comparison with the Hall of Famer. He struck out six and walked one while lowering his ERA from 1.62 to 1.51.
"Whitey Ford? Pfft. Let's go. Come on. Don't even say it," Medlen said.
Rob Brantly doubled for Miami, which dropped two of three in the series. Atlanta, closing in on securing at least an NL wild-card spot, has won 12 of its last 17 games.
"Medlen threw the crap out of the ball," Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen said. "We pitched well, but Medlen pitched better. I think this kid is, 'Wow.' He put on a show out there."
The first of Medlen's 10 starts this season was against Miami on July 31, when he allowed one run over five innings and the Braves picked up a 7-1 victory. Little did anyone know then how the next few weeks would go — he's now 8-0 with a 0.76 ERA as a starter, as opposed to his 2.48 ERA in 54 1-3 innings in 38 relief appearances to start the season.
Medlen threw 99 pitches Wednesday, 66 for strikes.
"I thought he was good. I thought he was really good," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Commanded the strike zone, both sides of the plate. We played some good (defense) behind him. ... That's a byproduct of Medlen pounding the strike zone, getting the ball, throwing the ball over and keeping guys on their toes."
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