The last time the Atlanta Braves pulled into first place, they promptly fell back out. This time, they're determined to stay awhile.

        John Burkett gave the Braves their third straight impressive start and Keith Lockhart and Dave Martinez hit solo homers Thursday, completing a two-game sweep with a 2-1 victory over the Reds.

        The Braves moved into solo possession of first place in the NL East by beating the Reds in the series opener behind Tom Glavine — the first time they'd been up there by themselves since June 27.

        Things didn't go so well the last time they elbowed in front of Philadelphia. Atlanta slid behind three days later and spent 2 1/2 weeks trying to squeeze in front again.

        “Let's see if we can hold onto it a little while longer than last time,” said Lockhart, who homered in each game.

        If their starters keep pitching true to Braves tradition and if their infielders can stay healthy, they're going to be tough to unseat. They've moved two games ahead of the Phillies, who lost to Montreal 5-2 Thursday.

        Overall, they've won three in a row, all set up by masterful starts. Greg Maddux, Glavine and Burkett gave up a total of one run in those games.

        It was Burkett's turn to keep it rolling on a humid afternoon. Knowing the conditions would take a toll if he threw a lot of pitches, he simply threw a lot of strikes — and the Reds couldn't hit them.

        Burkett (7-7) gave up only four hits in seven shutout innings and threw strikes on 67 of his 80 pitches. The right-hander got his first win since June 16, breaking out of a slump that was a reflection of the Braves' offense.

        In his last five starts, Burkett had given up only nine runs but wound up 0-2 with three no-decisions.

        “I was glad to see him get a win,” said Martinez, who hit his first homer of the season. “It seems every time he pitches, we don't score any runs. I hope he doesn't have to pitch too many shutouts.

        “He has been unbelievable since Day 1. When we were struggling, it seemed he was the only one keeping us in games. He's been a tremendous addition.”

        How tremendous? He lowered his earned run average to 2.38, moving ahead of Maddux (2.44) for best in the National League.

        “Just keep doing it, man. I don't try to analyze it or anything,” Burkett said.

        Lockhart's third-inning homer off Jim Brower (4-7) and Martinez's fourth-inning shot were all he needed. Steve Karsay gave up an RBI single to Sean Casey with two outs in the ninth before closing out his third save and tightening the Braves' hold on first.

        Braves Notes: Lockhart sprained his right ankle while going for a ball in the sixth inning and left the game. X-rays were negative. ... 2B Quilvio Veras missed his sixth game with sore ribs. He's likely to go on the DL Friday if he's not better. ... Heading into the series, Lockhart had four homers in 537 at-bats since the start of the 1999 season. He homered twice in seven at-bats in Cincinnati.

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