By CHARLES ODUM
AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA(AP) -- The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets are streaking
in opposite directions.

Brian McCann hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the fifth
inning and the Braves beat the reeling Mets 7-3 on Thursday
night for their first seven-game winning streak since 2006.

"Everything's going good right now," manager Bobby Cox said.

McCann also had a sacrifice fly in his fifth game of the season
with at least four RBIs, helping the Braves move 10 games over
.500 for the first time since May 16, 2007. Atlanta (78-68) is 4
1/2 games behind NL wild card-leading Colorado.

"This is the best we've played since I've been here," McCann
said. "It feels great because we could have folded. That could
have been it. I think we're playing with a carefree attitude.
There's nothing to lose. At the end (of the regular season), we
hope it will be enough. We'll see."

The Braves, who moved past Florida for second in the NL East,
host division-leading Philadelphia for a weekend series
beginning Friday night. Atlanta still trails the Phillies by 7
1/2 games, leaving the wild-card race as its best hope for a
return to the postseason.

"This is definitely going to be big for us," said Jair Jurrjens,
who pitched seven strong innings against the Mets. "We just need
to keep winning, winning series, keep winning every game we can
right now."

New York (63-84) has lost five straight and nine of 10 to fall
21 games under .500 for the first time since Oct. 2, 2004, when
it was 70-91.

"Has it been that long?" said Daniel Murphy, who had three hits,
including a homer. "I didn't know. ... Losing is frustrating,
whenever it happens."

The injury-riddled Mets have 20 fewer wins than at the same
point of the 2008 season, when they were 83-64 and in first
place in the NL East.

"The difference is you have to go back to the health issue,"
manager Jerry Manuel said. "If you don't have players in place,
you can't do anything consistently. The guys are putting forth
good effort. You can't question the effort. We've just fallen
short."

Jurrjens (12-10) allowed two runs, one earned, and six hits,
lowering his ERA to 2.75.

"Right now I think we're just having fun," Jurrjens said. "We're
not worried about the standings anymore. We just go out there
and play good ball."

McCann gave the Braves a 5-2 lead with a two-out drive to right
for his 19th homer. Nate McLouth and Martin Prado had one-out
singles before Nelson Figueroa struck out Garret Anderson,
bringing McCann to the plate.

Atlanta had six hits in its four-run fifth, including a
run-scoring single by Matt Diaz.

The start of the game was delayed 2 hours, 3 minutes by rain.

Prado also had a two-run double in the third for Atlanta, which
finished with 13 hits.

Murphy hit an eighth-inning homer off Eric O'Flaherty. Fernando
Tatis had a two-run single in the fourth.

Figueroa (2-6) gave up six runs and nine hits in five innings.

"It's very difficult," Figueroa said of New York's skid. "You
don't want to go out this way. It's one thing to be out of it
and another thing to continue to lose."

Diaz was hit by a pitch in the second and is tied for second in
the National League with 13 total, including nine times since
Aug. 17 - a span of exactly one month. He has been hit four
times in the last three games.

The Braves' last seven-game winning streak came in July 2006,
wrapped around the All-Star break. They had not been 10 games
over .500 since they were 25-15 on May 16, 2007.

NOTES: Manuel said he is moving RHP Bobby Parnell back to the
bullpen for the last two weeks of the season. Parnell is 3-8
with a 5.60 ERA in 62 games, including a 1-5 record and 7.93 ERA
in eight starts. ... Cox said he hopes RHP Derek Lowe, who left
Wednesday night's game after two innings with a blister on his
right ring finger, can make his next start. ... Cox said LHP
Mike Gonzalez, who had a stiff back Wednesday night, was not
available on Thursday night.