Braves 3, Marlins 0: Kris Medlen continued his domination of opposing hitters by throwing eight shutout innings, and three early runs propelled visiting Atlanta to a series victory.

Medlen (9-1) allowed four hits with one walk and six strikeouts to improve to 8-0 with a 0.76 ERA as a starter this season. The Braves have won Medlen’s past 21 starts, dating back to 2010, and pulled within five games of Washington in the National League East after the Nationals split a doubleheader with the Dodgers. Atlanta leads St. Louis by 6 1/2 games for the top NL wild-card spot.

Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman brought in runs with sacrifice flies, and Jose Constanza singled home a run off Miami starter Josh Johnson (8-13) as the Braves built a 3-0 lead after three innings. Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth for his NL-leading 38th save.

Constanza finished 2-for-3, scoring Dan Uggla with a second-inning single to right. Michael Bourn doubled leading off the game and scored on Heyward’s sacrifice fly in the first. Freeman plated Martin Prado in the third with a sacrifice fly.

Johnson allowed three runs on five hits in six innings with three walks and five strikeouts. Rob Brantly extended his hitting streak to nine games with a second-inning double to right for Miami.

GAME NOTEBOOK: In 70 2/3 innings as a starter this season, Medlen has allowed six earned runs with nine walks and 72 strikeouts. ... The Marlins honored retiring Atlanta 3B Chipper Jones before the game, presenting the Florida native with a fishing pole and tackle box. Jones singled in the third, tying Yankees’ great Lou Gehrig for 58th on the all-time hits list at 2,721. … Both teams are off Thursday. Miami travels to New York to open a six-game road trip Friday, while Atlanta heads to Philadelphia for a weekend series.