ATLANTA -- Needing a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning, Braves manager Bobby Cox went to pitcher Chuck James, who deadpanned after Wednesday's game that he "was just trying to help out the team and move the runner over."

The Braves finally had a chance for fun and games, and Cox was able to empty the bench in a laugher at Turner Field, as the Braves beat the Nationals, 13-0, while pounding out 22 hits.

The Braves finished off the three-game sweep, their second of the season, and officially put behind them the offensive woes of last week, when they scored one run in five games. Atlanta emerges from the series against Washington having scored 23 in three games.

"I guess the question would be, 'How 'bout those bats?'" Cox said. "If a team was ever due to really break out, it was our team."

The catalyst was rookie second baseman Yunel Escobar, who was batting for the second straight night in the leadoff spot. Escobar doubled in the first and third innings and singled in the fourth and fifth, coming around to score each time.

In recording his second four-hit game of the season, Escobar raised his batting average to .305.

"I've been waiting for a day like this," Escobar said through interpreter/bench coach Chino Cadahia. "It's nice to get four hits and play a real solid game defensively."

Chipper Jones drove home Escobar all four times, the first three with singles and the fourth on a fielder's choice. The Braves gained steam throughout the game, following the one-run first with a two-run third and a four-run fourth.

Washington's 4.70 team ERA is 12th in the National League and is a weakness the Braves exploited. Every one of the Nationals' five pitchers allowed at least one hit, and only Jon Rauch made it through without allowing a run -- Rauch pitched a scoreless eighth.

"It's good to see from our offense," Jones said. "Regardless of the competition you want to get things rolling. We had such a long drought of not being able to get hits and not being able to score runs, so it was good that everybody chimed in tonight."

By the sixth inning, every Braves starter, including pitcher John Smoltz, had a hit. The only home run was a two-run shot by Brian McCann in the sixth.

The Braves hit 17 singles, and every run but the two on McCann's home run was driven in on a one-base hit.

In the second inning, Edgar Renteria and Chipper Jones had consecutive run-scoring singles, and they were part of a group of four straight Atlanta hitters with RBI hits in the fourth, when Andruw Jones and Jeff Francoeur made it 7-0.

"I guess the question would be, 'How 'bout those bats?' If a team was ever due to really break out, it was our team."

-- Bobby Cox

"We have to keep swinging the bats," McCann said. "This is just a start."

Since returning from the disabled list on June 13, Chipper Jones has hit in 11 of 13 games, but he had just one RBI in that stretch before Monday. Part of that was hitters ahead of him were not getting on base, but Jones acknowledged his low batting average in clutch situations was also a factor.

"It's one thing to get base hits to set the table, but hitting in the middle of the lineup, you're expected to drive in runs," Jones said. "I think I was hitting below .200 coming into tonight [with runners in scoring position]. It was a welcome sight.

"I've got to thank the guys in front of me. Escobar was on all night and Edgar was moving them to third. I was coming up with guys on third and less than two outs in every at-bat."

Escobar led the way with four hits, and Diaz and Francoeur joined Chipper Jones with three. The offense gave plenty of support to Smoltz and the bullpen, but most of it wasn't needed because Atlanta's pitchers shut down the Nationals.

Smoltz went into several deep counts, but was rarely threatened, allowing just five singles during his five innings. He was mostly overpowering, recording seven strikeouts for the third straight start.

When he was removed for a pinch-runner in the bottom of the fifth, Smoltz received a standing ovation. He commented after his previous start that he was hoping to improve his stamina while battling shoulder inflammation, but his services weren't needed after the game got out of hand and Smoltz was assured of earning the decision.

"We got him a lot of runs, and I didn't see any reason for him to go out and even pitch the sixth inning," Cox said. "The bullpen threw nothing but goose eggs [afterward]. He's still not 100 percent with his arm."

Smoltz's performance was lost in the success of the offense, which had an outstanding return to the National League after finishing 4-11 in Interleague Play.

While the Nationals didn't prove to be the worthiest of foes for the suddenly surging Braves, the 23 runs Atlanta scored during the series should cause many to forget about how badly the Braves were scuffling last week. They'll try to carry the momentum over to a series in Florida starting on Friday night.

"I would say this is good," Cox said. "We're not going to get them all the time like that. It makes the plane ride tonight feel real good and it gives the hitters confidence going into the next series. It makes everybody have a really good feeling about the team."