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(Sports Network) - Despite celebrating his 36th birthday on Thursday, Chipper Jones is playing like he is 26. The major league's current top hitter will aim to tee off against the New York Mets tonight, when the Atlanta Braves start a three-game series at Shea Stadium.

Jones celebrated his birthday yesterday by blasting his seventh home run of the season in a 7-4 victory over the Florida Marlins. Jones also went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate while scoring twice to up his batting average to .442.

The Braves third baseman had three hits in eight at-bats in two games versus the Mets earlier this year, and is a career .328 batter against them in 179 games. That includes 38 homers and 118 RBI.

Jeff Francoeur doubled and drove in three runs, while Matt Diaz added a two- run single on Thursday for Atlanta, which has won six of its last eight games.

Jones has just one hit in four career at-bats against the Mets' starting pitcher tonight, Mike Pelfrey, but that lone knock was a homer. Francoeur is 0-for-5 versus Pelfrey.

The right-handed Pelfrey won his first two starts of the season before getting a no decision Sunday in Philadelphia. He gave up four runs on 10 hits over five innings, and was in line to get the loss before New York plated four runs in the sixth to get him off the hook.

Pelfrey has faced the Braves three times in his career, two of those starts, and is 1-1 with a 4.15 earned run average against them.

Jair Jurrjens will start for the Braves and is coming off a terrific outing on Sunday versus Los Angeles. Jurrjens improved to 2-2 with a 3.20 ERA on the year by allowing season lows of one run and three hits while striking out a career-high eight over seven innings versus the Dodgers.

The right-handed Jurrjens, who has allowed more than two runs in just one of his four starts this year, will face the Mets for the first time in his career and will also try to win his first road start of the season (0-2).

He faces a Mets squad that have lost four of their last five games, including Thursday's 10-5 thrashing at the hands of the Washington Nationals.

Oliver Perez (2-1) was tagged with the loss, as the lefty was charged with six hits and five runs over 5 2/3 innings. Carlos Beltran and Marlon Anderson each hit solo homers for the Mets, who wasted a 3-0 lead.

Ryan Church had a pair of hits, an RBI and a run scored for New York to run his hitting streak to 10 games. Church is now batting .350 on the season.

The Mets will be without catcher Brian Schneider again tonight, as he was sent to a New York hospital yesterday due to an infected left thumb. He was expected to remain in the hospital overnight.

The Braves won both games of a weather-shortened set versus the Mets in Atlanta in early April and have split their last 20 meetings with New York at Shea Stadium.