The big question in the NL East early this season is whether Atlanta still has enough pitching to hold off the Mets. Winners of 14 straight division titles, the Braves delivered an emphatic answer this week.

Tim Hudson took a one-hit shutout into the ninth inning before finishing with a three-hit gem, and Atlanta got another big homer from Andruw Jones in a 2-1 victory yesterday over the Mets.

“You don’t look at the lineups and decide who wins the game,” Hudson said. “Today was a lot of fun for me personally, especially the way I started the year.”

Hudson outpitched Tom Glavine in a matchup of All-Stars in peak form.The right-hander retired his first 15 batters before Ramon Castro’s leadoff single in the sixth and held on with some help from his defense.

It was the second stellar outing in a row for the Braves, who also got a three-hitter from 22-year-old Kyle Davies in a 7-1 win Tuesday night.

Mets third baseman David Wright made three errors and hit a game-ending groundout with a runner on after Chris Woodward’s RBI single.

Jones hit his fifth homer in four games for the Braves, who took two of three in the first series this season between the NL East rivals.The Mets fell to 10-4.

“We’ll probably be going back-andforth all season with these guys,” manager Willie Randolph said.

Hudson (1-1) struck out six and walked one, throwing 65 of 97 pitches for strikes in his 19th career complete game. All three wins by Braves starters this season have been complete games in a five-day span.

Glavine (2-1) was nearly as good against his former team, allowing two runs – one earned – and four hits in eight innings. He struck out five and walked none.

With both aces dominating depleted lineups, the game took only 1 hour, 59 minutes.

“Both of us threw well.He threw a little bit better,” Glavine said. “It’s one of those games that’s tough to lose.”

Jones connected with two outs in the seventh, and Atlanta added an important run in the eighth thanks to a pair of miscues by Wright, who began the day with zero errors.

“They were tough plays, but this is the big leagues and tough plays have to be made,” Wright said. “I’m more disappointed in letting Tom down and letting the team down than I am making the errors for me personally.”

After Castro’s single in the sixth, a throwing error by Brian Jordan, making his second career start at first base, helped the Mets mount a threat. But left fielder Matt Diaz caught Jose Reyes’s routine fly and threw a strike to the plate to cut down Castro for an inning-ending double play.

Reyes doubled with one out in the ninth and scored on Woodward’s single, but Hudson retired Carlos Delgado on a fly to left and got Wright on a grounder to shortstop.

The Mets played without ailing center fielder Carlos Beltran, left fielder Cliff Floyd, and rookie second baseman Anderson Hernandez, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list after the game. Hernandez had an MRI that showed a bulging disc in his back.The Mets plan to activate Kaz Matsui in time for tonight’s game in San Diego.