Braves, Lowe Beat Florida 5-1

ATLANTA (AP) _ 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{ 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.