PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- John Smoltz is looking better and better.

Smoltz continued his steady improvement since his return to the major leagues, pitching seven strong innings to help the Atlanta Braves complete a doubleheader sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-3.

Brian Jordan had a two-run double and Bernard Gilkey homered for the Braves, who have won four straight games. Atlanta had not won more than two straight this season before Sunday.

Making his fourth start since undergoing "Tommy John" surgery on his pitching elbow, Smoltz (2-2) allowed just two runs and four hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

"I improved in a lot of areas. That's all I can ask for. It hasn't been easy," Smoltz said. "The adrenaline takes over and the longer the innings went, the better I got."

The 1996 National League Cy Young Award winner has pitched deeper into the game on each occasion and earned his first win in nearly 20 months in his previous start.

"Having had four starts now, each time going a little farther, throwing more pitches, I'm starting to get back where I think I can be," Smoltz said.

The Pirates lost reliever Jose Silva for six-to-eight weeks with a fractured left tibia. Andruw Jones hit a line drive right back at Silva in the seventh inning, who was taken off the field on a stretcher.

Jordan delivered a two-run homer in the fourth off loser Jimmy Anderson (3-5), who allowed seven runs and nine hits in five innings.

The Braves had 12 hits in Game Two and 30 in the doubleheader.

"I think we just had a good day," Chipper Jones said. "When you get 30 hits and 19 runs for Smoltz and (Tom) Glavine, I kind of like your chances."

The Pirates have lost four straight games and went 1-5 on a homestand that ended Sunday.

"I thought we were coming around a little," Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said. "Our starters were getting deeper into the game. But on this homestand we lost it. Our starters have not got it done."

Javier Lopez, who drove in four runs in the opener, had an RBI single in the second.

Atlanta added three runs in the fourth with the help of an alert play by Chipper Jones. Second baseman Rob Mackowiak caught a fly ball by Quilvio Veras while backpedaling, and Jones raced home for a sacrifice fly.

Atlanta increased its lead to 7-0 in the fourth on a home run by Gilkey, an RBI single by Veras and a run-scoring grounder by Andruw Jones. Gilkey added an RBI single in the seventh.

Aramis Ramirez hit a solo homer off Smoltz in the fourth. Enrique Wilson drove in a run with groundout in the fifth and Pittsburgh added its final run on an error by Lopez in the eighth.