ATLANTA -- A three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves moved the Phillies out of last place in the NL East and provided a huge confidence boost for their hitters. Jarred Vanderbilt Nuggets Jersey . Ryan Howard capped a big series by driving in two runs with three hits and the Phillies battered Aaron Harang and the Braves 10-5 on Wednesday. Philadelphia set a season high with 18 hits. Five Phillies had three hits. "Its a good feeling because you put in the work," said Marlon Byrd, who drove in three runs with three hits, including a homer. "It seems like youve put in the work every single day and dont get the results. The results are the key. You start feeling good about yourself. "To come out here the whole series and put up runs against a good staff is huge for us, knowing that the work weve put in is starting to show up on the field." Howard, who hit homers in each of the first two games of the series, drove in a run with a double in the Phillies five-run second inning. He added a run-scoring single in the fifth. He had five hits, four walks and six RBIs in the series in Atlanta, where he has a good history. Howard has 46 career homers against Atlanta, more than against any other team. His 20 homers at Turner Field are his high mark for any road stadium. Asked what made the difference for Howard in the series, Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said "Possibly just some confidence." "This is a place hes hit well so maybe it brought back some positive thoughts," Sandberg said. "He has been seeing the ball real well, made them throw strikes and used the whole field." Evan Gattis hit a two-run homer in Atlantas four-run first inning off Roberto Hernandez (3-5). Ryan Doumit also homered and hit a two-run single for Atlanta. Hernandez overcame his rough first inning to last six innings, giving up five runs and eight hits and five walks. He had been 0-4 in eight starts since his last win on May 4 against Washington. "He had a rough first and the offence bounced right back for him and picked him up there," Sandberg said. Harang (5-6) allowed nine runs, eight earned, in five innings. He threw 115 pitches while allowing 13 hits and three walks. The Phillies have won seven of nine. Atlanta has lost eight of 12. The Phillies sweep knocked the Braves out of first place in the NL East, just in time for a visit to first-place Washington. "Were going to go into D.C. with a little bit of a chip on our shoulders," Doumit said. "This wasnt a good series. It left a bad taste in our mouths, but were going to go take it out on the Nationals." Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez tried a new lineup, and rookie Tommy La Stella was 0 for 4 with a walk in his first game hitting leadoff. "I thought we swung the bats well," Gonzalez said. "We were knocking on the door there almost the entire game trying to get back in it, which is a good sign." Trailing 4-2, the Phillies scored five runs in the second on six straight two-out hits, including a two-run single by John Mayberry Jr., who had three RBIs. Shortstop Cesar Hernandez, batting leadoff for the first time this season, had three hits and scored two runs. Domonic Brown and Will Nieves also had three hits. Nieves left the game with what Sandberg said appeared to be a quadriceps injury. Antonio Bastardo and Ken Giles combined for three scoreless innings behind Hernandez. NOTES: Phillies CF Ben Revere (sore left knee) had a pinch-hit groundout in the eighth. ... The Braves rested several starters including LF Justin Upton, who left Tuesday nights game with dizziness. CF B.J. Upton and SS Andrelton Simmons also received days off. ... Braves LHP Jonny Venters was given a platelet-rich plasma injection in his surgically repaired left elbow. He is trying to come back from his second Tommy John surgery on May 16, 2013, and will rest the elbow for about five weeks. ... Braves RHP Gavin Floyd faces Washington RHP Jordan Zimmermann to open a four-game series on Thursday. ... The Phillies open a four-game series at St. Louis with David Buchanan opposing Shelby Miller in a matchup of right-handers. Carmelo Anthony Jersey . Returning to Davis Cup tennis, Federer cruised past Ilija Bozoljac, winning 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 in less than two hours. Federer faced little challenge from Bozoljac, who served well but still was no match for his Swiss opponent. Jamal Murray Nuggets Jersey . - Their offence is underperforming. http://www.nuggetsprostore.com/kids-tyler-lydon-nuggets-jersey/ . -- What Anthony Jennings lacked in experience, LSU more than compensated for with a talented supporting cast in the Outback Bowl.NEW YORK -- After three long games on the road, the Brooklyn Nets made quick work of Cleveland back at home. Paul Pierce scored 17 of his 22 points in a flawless first quarter, and the Nets pulled away in the second on the way to their 12th straight home victory, 108-97 over the Cavaliers on Friday night. "It was great for him to come out and get us started and get us going, and then that second group kind of finished it off," Nets guard Deron Williams said. Joe Johnson added 14 points for the Nets, who played three straight overtime games on their road trip, losing the last two of them. But things were much easier inside Barclays Center, where they won for the 19th time in their last 21 games. "It sure beats us getting booed earlier in the year," Pierce said. "So were playing well here. We feel comfortable on our home turf." The Nets are hoping to open the playoffs here, but still have work to do to catch either Toronto or Chicago for home-court advantage in the first round. They are 2 1/2 games behind the Raptors for first place in the Atlantic Division and 1 1/2 behind the Bulls for the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference. The Nets were without Kevin Garnett for a 15th straight game because of back spasms and Andrei Kirilenko for a third in a row because of a sprained left ankle, but had six players score in double figures and shot 55 per cent from the field. They scored the first 12 points of the second quarter to break away from a 29-all tie, and Cleveland never put much of a dent in the lead. Brooklyn had a 48-18 advantage in bench points in improving to 28-12 since Jan. 1, best in the East. "Thats who we are. If were going to go anywhere in this playoffs, were a team full of depth. Weve got a number of guys that can beat you on any given night, its not really surrounded around one particular guy," Pierce said. "Tonight I was our leading scorer, but then it can be somebody else tomorrow, the next game and thats what makes us so dangerous." Luol Deng and Dion Waiters each scored 20 points for the Cavaliers, who had won three in a row. Michael Porter Jersey. They had pulled off a pair of big fourth-quarter comebacks during the win streak, beating Detroit on Wednesday on Waiters jumper as time expired, but there was no run in this one. "Ive come to the conclusion of expecting more from us. Thats whats disappointing," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "Its disappointing to play the way we did tonight. Its tough to swallow." Williams and Alan Anderson each scored 13 points for Brooklyn, which improved to 11-4 this month and can tie the franchise record for most victories in March by beating Minnesota here Sunday night. Williams made a 3-pointer and Pierce hit two straight for a 9-0 Brooklyn lead, and Pierce was 4 for 4 before the first was half over. But Spencer Hawes and Deng led a solid finish to the quarter that allowed Cleveland to tie it at 29. The Nets were even better to open the second, scoring 12 straight to make it 41-29 on Andersons 3-pointer. The lead reached 17 on a 3-pointer by Pierce with 2:05 remaining, and Brooklyn took a 61-50 lead into halftime. Six players had at least four points in the quarter. Cleveland cut Brooklyns 16-point lead in the third in half by the end of the quarter, but the Nets quickly regained control by opening the fourth with an 8-1 spurt for a 15-point cushion. "Weve got to do a better job coming out in the first quarter," Waiters said, "not always falling down by a big margin." NOTES: Brooklyns Jorge Gutierrez made some money and lost some Friday. Shortly after the Nets signed him to a multiyear deal after the expiration of his second 10-day contract, the rookie point guard was fined $15,000 by the NBA for making excessive contact above the shoulders when he fouled Charlottes Cody Zeller on Wednesday. ... After opening the season against each other with the Cavs win in Cleveland on Oct. 30, they will finish things off in the same spot on April 16. ' ' '