"After Chipper Jones took The Freak deep for a lead, the Braves' three bullpen horses made sure Mike Minor was rewarded for the finest start of his career.

The rookie Minor pitched six wholly impressive innings, and Jones' fifth-inning homer off Tim Linceum lifted the Braves to a 1-0 win against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night at Turner Field.

The Braves got strong starts from pitching prospects Randall Delgado and Minor and won three of four games in the series to push their wild-card lead to six games over the Giants. They finished 6-1 against the Giants this season.

"That game goes to Mike Minor and the bullpen," Jones said. "They were awesome. They didn't make any mistakes all night. I think one ball, to lead off the game, might have been hit hard.

"The young kids coming up and pitching continue to impress. I've said it all along, the future is bright for us."

Minor (3-2) allowed four hits and one (intentional) walk with nine strikeouts, showing why the Braves refused to part with him when teams asked general manager Frank Wren for the left-hander before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

"It was definitely my best outing all year long, whether it's Triple-A or here," Minor said. "The defense was good tonight, and Mac [catcher Brian McCann] putting down the signs - I think I only shook [him off] one time. We really clicked. And the bullpen guys came in and relieved me.""