WASHINGTON(AP) -- Bobby Cox sat in his chair, his post-game
victory cigar lit and watched a game on television.

Just minutes after he watched Javier Vazquez throw a complete
game to keep his Atlanta Braves' flickering wild card hopes
alive, Cox was rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Braves began Friday night 3 1/2 games behind Colorado for
the NL wild card, and after Vazquez stifled the Washington
Nationals with a three-hitter in Atlanta's 4-1 victory, Cox had
his eyes on the Cardinals-Rockies game.

"They need to beat those mountain boys up a little bit," Cox
said.

But the Rockies won 2-1, keeping Atlanta 3 1/2 games back.

Cox was able to relax as he watched the Colorado game because he
saw Vazquez throw his third complete game of the season and
second in three starts. Vazquez (15-9) allowed a leadoff home
run to Josh Bard, his sixth, in the eighth inning. Vazquez also
gave a leadoff single to Willie Harris in the first and a
one-out double to Ryan Zimmerman in the fourth. He retired 11
straight between Zimmerman's double and Bard's homer.

Vazquez, who won his fifth straight, struck out seven and walked
one. He is 10-2 since July 7.

"Nowadays, there are not a lot of complete games," Vazquez said.
"When I'm on the mound, I want to throw eight, nine innings."

The Braves have won four straight and 12 of 14.

"It's important for us to win every game from now on because
Colorado is ahead," Vazquez said. "We're playing great defense."

While the Braves are playing great defense, the Nationals are
not. Three of Atlanta's four runs were unearned. The fourth came
on Martin Prado's homer in the ninth.

Vazquez walked to the mound with a 2-0 lead, thanks to a madcap
first inning.

With two outs, Chipper Jones lined a ball at right fielder Josh
Willingham, which he said he lost in the lights. Jones was
awarded a single. After Brian McCann walked, Yunel Escobar's
grounder went through second baseman Pete Orr's legs for a
two-base error, scoring Jones. Garret Anderson's fly ball fell
between center fielder Justin Maxwell and left fielder Harris
for a base hit to score McCann.

"You get the extra at-bat, you've got to take them when you get
them," Cox said.

All season long, the Nationals, who lost for the 101st time,
have given their opponents a lot of extra at-bats. They have
committed 135 errors - by far the most in major leagues.

"Basically, we're in a funk here where if it can go wrong, it's
going to go wrong," Washington interim manager Jim Riggleman
said.

On Thursday, Washington became the first National League team in
35 years to lose 100 games in consecutive seasons.

John Lannan (9-13) allowed two unearned runs in seven innings
for the Nationals, who lost for the 101st time - one shy of last
year's total. Lannan threw a season-high 122 pitches, losing for
the fourth time in his last five starts. He allowed six hits,
walked three and struck out six and refused to blame his team's
shoddy defense.

"It's going to happen, it just happened all together," Lannan
said.

The Braves added a third unearned run in the eighth when Escobar
led off with a sinking line drive to center that Maxwell
couldn't catch. Shortstop Ian Desmond retrieved it and threw
wildly, allowing Escobar to reach second. He moved to third on
an infield out and scored on Matt Diaz's single.

NOTES: Vazquez is 10-2 on the road, but just 5-7 at Turner
Field. ... Escobar, Atlanta's SS, hasn't committed an error in
44 games - a career high. ... Washington C Wil Nieves missed his
seventh straight game with a strained hamstring. ... Bard's home
run was the 109th allowed by the Braves - lowest in the majors.