Atlanta ? Cliff Floyd sat out two games with a mild case of tonsillitis. The illness sure didn’t affect his hot bat.

Floyd returned to the lineup with a three-run homer and the Florida Marlins avoided a four-game sweep in Atlanta, beating the Braves 8-3 Monday night.

Preston Wilson and Derrek Lee each hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning to put the Marlins ahead for good.

Floyd was denied a homer in the first inning when B.J. Surhoff made a spectacular catch leaping against the right-field wall.

But no one could reach Floyd’s 427-foot drive in the ninth, a drive over the center-field wall with two runners on that sealed the victory. It was his fourth homer in four games, giving him seven for the season.

“Oh man, he’s on fire,” Wilson said. “He’s fun to watch. Every at-bat, he looks like he’s going to do something good.”

Florida snapped Atlanta’s season-high four-game winning streak and also denied the Braves their first four-game sweep in almost five years.

Brad Penny (2-1) pitched six-plus innings for the win, allowing eight hits and two earned runs.

Floyd treated his swollen tonsils with antibiotics and came up in the first having reached base in his last seven plate appearances.

He seemed assured of making it eight in a row, sending the pitch toward the wall in right. But Surhoff timed his jump perfectly and got above the yellow line to make the catch.

“I’m not complaining,” Floyd said. “I just try to hit the ball good. If they rob me, I’ve got to hit it farther the next time.”

He did.

“I’m feeling good at the plate,” Floyd said. “When you’re feeling good, you better take advantage of it in this league.”

The Braves, meanwhile, squandered numerous chances. Julio Franco twice hit into inning-ending double plays with the bases loaded. In the sixth, the first two batters singled, but Javy Lopez hit into a 5-4-3 double play and Wes Helms popped out.

“I hit the ball hard, but right at people,” Franco said. “All I can do is hit it. I can’t guide it.”

In another sign of baseball’s attendance woes, the game drew only 21,461 the smallest crowd in Turner Field’s 6-year history.

Atlanta starter Kevin Millwood (2-2) was constantly behind in the count, throwing 26 pitches in the third inning alone. He was finally chased in the fifth.

Luis Castillo singled and Wilson homered deep into the left-field seats, putting the Marlins ahead 3-2. Wilson flipped the bat away and trotted slowly to first after connecting for his first homer since opening day; Millwood didn’t even bother to look.

“That one felt pretty good,” Wilson said. “I’ve not felt one like that in a while.”