NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
    Florida Marlins vs. Atlanta Braves  

Game 1:  Josh Beckett vs. Russ Ortiz, Turner Field

BRAVES POUND BECKETT EARLY, COAST TO EASY GAME 1 'W'
 Giles, A. Jones, Lopez All Homer

ATLANTA, Oct. 8 (AP) - The Atlanta Braves jumped on Florida Marlins starter Josh Beckett for six runs over the first two innings and then cruised to an 8-3 victory in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series at Turner Field.  Andruw Jones, Marcus Giles and Javy Lopez all homered for the Braves, who outhit the Marlins 13-5.  Russ Ortiz pitched into the seventh before tiring but still earned the win.  Three Atlanta relievers combined to toss 2 2/3 innings of perfect ball to close out the game.

The Braves sent nine men to the plate and scored four times in the bottom of the first.  Rafael Furcal drew a lead-off walk and then advanced to second when Marcus Giles grounded out.  Gary Sheffield followed with a line single to center, scoring Furcal for the game's first run.  Chipper Jones drew a free pass and then Andruw Jones belted a three-run home run to left and the rout was on. 

Derrek Lee's one-out solo home run in the top of the second got the Marlins on the board, but the Braves countered with two more runs in the bottom of the inning.  Giles doubled to left-center with one out and Sheffield followed with his second straight RBI single, this one to left, giving Atlanta a 5-1 lead.  A wild pitch moved Sheffield to second and he took third on Chipper Jones' deep fly to right.  Andruw Jones followed with a base hit to right, scoring Sheffield and driving Beckett from the mound.  He was replaced by Dontrelle Willis, who retired Lopez to end the inning.

Lopez's solo home run in the fifth off Willis upped the lead to 7-1.  The Marlins cut into that lead in the seventh when Lee led off with a double and rode home on Juan Encarnacion's long home run.  With one out, Ortiz walked pinch hitter Lenny Harris and Braves manager Bobby Cox lifted the right-hander in favor of Kent Mercker who retired the next two hitters to end the inning with Florida trailing 7-3.

No Marlins hitter reached base after Ortiz left the game, but the Braves pushed one more run across the plate when Giles homered off Chad Fox in the bottom of the eighth.  That capped the scoring at 8-3.

The Braves are now 4-0 in the postseason after an electric 116-win regular campaign.  The two teams will meet again at Turner Field tomorrow when Mark Redman is expected to take the mound for the Marlins and face off with Greg Maddux of the Braves.
10/8/2003, Fla03-Atl03, Turner Field
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
2003 Marlins           0  1  0  0  0  0  2  0  0     3  5  0     5  1
2003 Braves            4  2  0  0  1  0  0  1  x     8 13  0     8  0
 
Marlins              AB  R  H BI   AVG    Braves               AB  R  H BI   AVG
Pierre            cf  4  0  0  0  .000    Furcal            ss  4  1  1  0  .250
Castillo,L        2b  4  0  1  0  .250    Giles,M           2b  5  2  3  1  .600
Rodriguez,I       c   4  0  1  0  .250    Sheffield         rf  4  2  2  2  .500
Lowell            3b  3  0  0  0  .000    Jones,C           lf  3  1  0  0  .000
Cabrera,M         lf  4  0  0  0  .000    Jones,A           cf  4  1  2  4  .500
Lee,De            1b  4  2  2  1  .500    Lopez,JT          c   4  1  1  1  .250
Encarnacion       rf  4  1  1  2  .250    Fick              1b  3  0  1  0  .333
Gonzalez,A        ss  4  0  0  0  .000     Franco,Ju        ph  1  0  1  0 1.000
Beckett           p   0  0  0  0  .000    Castilla          3b  4  0  2  0  .500
 Willis           p   1  0  0  0  .000    Ortiz,Ru          p   3  0  0  0  .000
 Helling          p   0  0  0  0  .000     Mercker          p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Harris,L         ph  0  0  0  0  .000     DeRosa           ph  1  0  0  0  .000
 Tejera           p   0  0  0  0  .000     Gryboski         p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Fox,C            p   0  0  0  0  .000     Hernandez,Ro     p   0  0  0  0  .000
                     32  3  5  3                               36  8 13  8
 
Marlins                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Beckett          L 0-1           1.2  7  6  6  2  0  47  31 32.40
Willis                           3.2  4  1  1  2  4  63  42  2.45
Helling                          0.2  0  0  0  0  0   1   1  0.00
Tejera                           1.1  1  0  0  0  0  19  14  0.00
Fox,C                            0.2  1  1  1  0  0   8   5 13.50
                                 8.0 13  8  8  4  4 138  93
 
Braves                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Ortiz,Ru         W 1-0           6.1  5  3  3  3  6 111  66  4.26
Mercker                          0.2  0  0  0  0  0   6   3  0.00
Gryboski                         1.0  0  0  0  0  1  10   8  0.00
Hernandez,Ro                     1.0  0  0  0  0  2  17  10  0.00
                                 9.0  5  3  3  3  9 144  87
 
Fla: Harris,L batted for Helling in the 7th
Atl: Franco,Ju batted for Fick in the 7th
     DeRosa batted for Mercker in the 7th
     Franco,Ju moved to 1b in the 8th
 
2B-Rodriguez,I(1), Lee,De(1), Furcal(1), Giles,M(1). HR-Lee,De(1),
Encarnacion(1), Giles,M(1), Jones,A(1), Lopez,JT(1). RBI-Lee,De(1),
Encarnacion 2(2), Giles,M(1), Sheffield 2(2), Jones,A 4(4), Lopez,JT(1).
K-Rodriguez,I 2, Cabrera,M 2, Lee,De, Encarnacion 2, Gonzalez,A 2, Furcal,
Jones,A, Lopez,JT, Fick. BB-Lowell, Willis, Harris,L, Furcal, Sheffield,
Jones,C 2. WP-Beckett.
GWRBI: Sheffield
Temperature: 83, Sky: clear, Wind: right to left at 4 MPH.
Attendance: 49,851
Game Time: 2:58

Game 2:  Mark Redman vs. Greg Maddux, Turner Field

MARLINS 4-RUN 3RD INNING KEYS SERIES EVENING 'W'
 Florida Bullpen Fires 4 Scoreless Innings

ATLANTA, Oct. 9 (AP) - The Florida Marlins, keyed by Derrek Lee's second home run in as many games, scored four runs in the third inning and then held on to even their National League Championship Series with the Atlanta Braves with a 5-4 victory at Turner Field.  All the game's scoring took place in the first three frames as the starting pitchers settled down and the two bullpens were nearly flawless.  The loss was the first in five postseason games for the Braves.

The Marlins pushed a run across in the top of the first inning against Atlanta starter Greg Maddux.  Luis Castillo cracked a one-out triple and then scored on Ivan Rodriguez's ground out.

The Braves roared back with two runs off Florida starter Mark Redman.  Marcus Giles bounced a one-out single through the middle and then trotted home when Gary Sheffield launched a hanging change-up deep into the left-center field seats for a 2-1 Atlanta advantage.

The Marlins exploded for what would ultimately prove to be the margin of victory in the top of the third.  Juan Pierre led off the inning with a single to center and stole second.  Castillo then grounded a base hit into left field, scoring Pierre with the tying run.  Castillo swiped second, as the Marlins continued to implement their game plan of running at every opportunity against Maddux, who struggles to hold runners on base.  Rodriguez immediately singled Castillo home, giving Florida a 3-2 lead.  Mike Lowell struck out and Miguel Cabrera popped to second but Rodriguez then stole the Marlins' third base of the inning.  Lee worked the count full and then hammered a Maddux two-seamer into nearly the same spot that Sheffield's ball found in the first.  The home run--Lee's second of the series--put the Marlins on top 5-2.

The Braves wasted no time getting right back in the game.  In the bottom of the third, Sheffield led off with a single to left and then moved to second when Chipper Jones walked.  Andruw Jones flied to shallow right but Javy Lopez roped a double to right-center, scoring both Sheffield and Jones to cut the deficit to a single run.  Redman retired Julio Franco on a comebacker, walked Vinnie Castilla intentionally and then retired Maddux on an infield roller to avoid further damage.

And the the run-scoring, so predominant early, came to a grinding halt.  Maddux pitched around a Rafael Furcal error in the fourth, closing out the inning with a double play grounder.  A double play also cut short a would-be Marlins threat in the top of the fifth.  Redman tossed a pair of perfect innings before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the sixth.

The two bullpens were nearly equally effective.  Ray King, Will Cunnane and Jaret Wright combined for three perfect innings of relief for Atlanta.  Rick Helling retired the first five Braves batters he faced in the sixth and seventh innings before yielding a two-out double to Sheffield.  He struck out Chipper Jones to keep the Marlins on top.  Braden Looper set the Braves down in order in the eighth.

In the bottom of the ninth, Ugueth Urbina needed only seven pitches to retire Castilla, pinch hitter Darren Bragg and Furcal to close out the game.

After an off day, the series will resume for Game 3 in Miami.
10/9/2003, Fla03-Atl03, Turner Field
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
2003 Marlins           1  0  4  0  0  0  0  0  0     5  8  0     4  0
2003 Braves            2  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0     4  7  1     6  2
 
Marlins              AB  R  H BI   AVG    Braves               AB  R  H BI   AVG
Pierre            cf  4  1  1  0  .125    Furcal            ss  5  0  0  0  .111
Castillo,L        2b  4  2  2  1  .375    Giles,M           2b  4  1  1  0  .444
Rodriguez,I       c   3  1  1  2  .286    Sheffield         rf  4  2  3  2  .625
Lowell            3b  4  0  0  0  .000    Jones,C           lf  3  1  1  0  .167
Cabrera,M         lf  4  0  1  0  .125    Jones,A           cf  4  0  0  0  .250
 Looper,B         p   0  0  0  0  .000    Lopez,JT          c   4  0  2  2  .375
 Urbina           p   0  0  0  0  .000    Franco,Ju         1b  2  0  0  0  .333
Lee,De            1b  4  1  1  2  .375     Fick             ph  1  0  0  0  .250
Encarnacion       rf  4  0  1  0  .250    Castilla          3b  3  0  0  0  .286
Gonzalez,A        ss  3  0  1  0  .143    Maddux            p   2  0  0  0  .000
Redman,M          p   2  0  0  0  .000     Franco,M         ph  1  0  0  0  .000
 Fox,A            ph  1  0  0  0  .000     King             p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Helling          p   0  0  0  0  .000     Cunnane          p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Banks            lf  1  0  0  0  .000     Wright,Jar       p   0  0  0  0  .000
                     34  5  8  5           Bragg            ph  1  0  0  0  .000
                                                               34  4  7  4
 
Marlins                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Redman,M         W 1-0           5.0  6  4  4  3  6  78  47  7.20
Helling          H 1             2.0  1  0  0  0  2  20  13  0.00
Looper,B         H 1             1.0  0  0  0  0  1   6   5  0.00
Urbina           S 1             1.0  0  0  0  0  0   7   4  0.00
                                 9.0  7  4  4  3  9 111  69
 
Braves                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Maddux           L 0-1           6.0  8  5  5  2  2  86  56  7.50
King                             1.0  0  0  0  0  0   9   6  0.00
Cunnane                          1.0  0  0  0  0  0   7   6  0.00
Wright,Jar                       1.0  0  0  0  0  1   8   6  0.00
                                 9.0  8  5  5  2  3 110  74
 
Fla: Fox,A batted for Redman,M in the 6th
     Banks inserted at lf in the 8th
Atl: Franco,M batted for Maddux in the 6th
     Fick batted for Franco,Ju in the 8th
     Fick moved to 1b in the 9th
     Bragg batted for Wright,Jar in the 9th
 
E-Furcal. 2B-Encarnacion(1), Sheffield(1), Lopez,JT 2(2). 3B-Castillo,L(1).
HR-Lee,De(2), Sheffield(1). RBI-Castillo,L(1), Rodriguez,I 2(2), Lee,De 2(3),
Sheffield 2(4), Lopez,JT 2(3). SB-Pierre(1), Castillo,L(1), Rodriguez,I(1).
K-Lowell, Encarnacion, Banks, Furcal, Sheffield, Jones,C, Jones,A 2,
Lopez,JT 2, Castilla, Maddux. BB-Rodriguez,I, Gonzalez,A, Jones,C, Franco,Ju,
Castilla.
GWRBI: Rodriguez,I
Temperature: 82, Sky: clear, Wind: right to left at 17 MPH.
Attendance: 49,843
Game Time: 2:12

Game 3:  Mike Hampton vs. Carl Pavano, Pro Player Stadium

MARLINS GO FROM VALLEY TO PEAK IN 1 PLAY; TAKE 2-1 NLCS LEAD
 Braves Drop 2nd Straight 1-Run Game

MIAMI, Oct. 11 (AP) - Juan Pierre's two-out single to left field scored Brian Banks--barely--with the winning run and the Florida Marlins squeezed out a 7-6 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Pro Player Stadium to take a 2-1 lead in what has become a highly competitive National League Championship Series.  The winning run came one batter after Banks himself had singled to left, only to see Juan Encarnacion thrown out at the plate by Chipper Jones.  The Braves, who were a major league best 42-15 in one-run games during the regular season, have now dropped consecutive one-run contests in the NLCS.

The general pattern of play in Game 3 closely mirrored that of Game 2--starting pitchers roughed up with strong efforts by the bullpens.

The Braves broke out on top with two runs in the first off Marlins starter Carl Pavano.  With one out, Marcus Giles reached on an infield single and moved to third on Gary Sheffield's base hit.  Chipper Jones lined a single to left-center, scoring Giles and moving Sheffield to third and Andruw Jones lifted a sacrifice fly to right, giving Atlanta a 2-0 lead.

The Marlins then roared to life in the bottom of the second.  Facing Braves starter Mike Hampton, Miguel Cabrera led off with a single to right and moved to third on Derrek Lee's double to left.  Encarnacion then roped a two-bagger into the right field corner, scoring both runners to tie the game.  After Hampton retired Alex Gonzalez and Pavano, Juan Pierre gave Florida the lead with an RBI double to left-center.  Luis Castillo then capped the scoring for the inning by driving home Pierre with a single to left.  Ivan Rodriguez singled Castillo to second before Hampton finally ended the inning by inducing Mike Lowell to ground out, but the Marlins took a 4-2 advantage into the third.

The Braves immediately erased that lead as Giles and Sheffield opened the third with back-to-back home runs, knotting the score at four apiece.  And in the fourth, the Braves reclaimed their two-run advantage and chased Pavano from the game.  Robert Fick led off with a double.  Pavano retired Vinnie Castilla and Hampton without incident but Rafael Furcal singled through the box, scoring Fick and Giles followed with a double to the wall in left, scoring Furcal to GIVE Atlanta a 6-4 lead.  Pavano retired Sheffield on a fly ball to end the inning but that was the end of his day.  The Marlins bullpen would take over for the final five frames and hold the Braves scoreless for the second consecutive game.

Florida wasted little time in drawing even.  In the bottom of the fifth, Lowell led off with a double, chasing Hampton from the mound.  Roberto Hernandez replaced him and promptly walked Cabrera, putting runners on first and second.  Lee struck out and Encarnacion flied out but Gonzalez singled sharply to center, loading the bases with two outs.  Lenny Harris came on to pinch hit for Pavano and dropped a single into left-center field, scoring Lowell and Cabrera to tie the game.  Hernandez then walked Pierre to fill the bases but Castillo grounded out to second to end the inning.

Both clubs had decent scoring opportunities with two outs over the next several innings, but were unable to dent home plate.  Tommy Phelps, Rick Helling and Chad Fox of the Marlins held the Braves to a single hit over five innings of work.  After Hernandez's stint, Kevin Gryboski, Kent Mercker and Will Cunnane tossed three scoreless frames.

After Fox retired the Braves in order in the top of the ninth, Jaret Wright replaced Cunnane for Atlanta.  Wright missed on a 3-2 pitch and walked Encarnacion to lead off the inning.  Gonzalez popped to second for the first out and Banks came on to pinch hit for Fox.  On the first pitch to Banks, Encarnacion stole second base.  On a 1-2 offering, Banks grounded sharply between short and third for a base hit.  There was never any hesitation on Encarnacion's part, nor on that of left fielder Chipper Jones, who gunned Encarnacion out on a close play at the plate for the second out of the inning, saving the game for Atlanta, if only momentarily.  Banks alertly took second on the throw, which turned out to be a key play.  On an 0-1 pitch, Pierre lined a clean hit to left.  Again, there was no hesitation by the Marlins, as Banks was waved in all the way.  Jones made a strong throw to the plate that was slightly to the first base side.  Braves catcher Javy Lopez snagged the throw and wheeled to tag Banks who scooted to the foul side of the baseline and slid in just ahead of Lopez's tag for the winning run.  The Marlins emptied the dugout to mob Banks and Pierre and the sellout crowd went bananas.

The two clubs will meet again tomorrow in what's shaping up as a must-win contest for Atlanta.
10/11/2003, Atl03-Fla03, Pro Player Stadium
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
2003 Braves            2  0  2  2  0  0  0  0  0     6 10  0     6  2
2003 Marlins           0  4  0  0  2  0  0  0  1     7 15  0    13  1
 
Braves               AB  R  H BI   AVG    Marlins              AB  R  H BI   AVG
Furcal            ss  5  1  2  1  .214    Pierre            cf  4  1  2  2  .250
Giles,M           2b  5  2  3  2  .500    Castillo,L        2b  5  0  2  1  .385
Sheffield         rf  4  2  2  1  .583    Rodriguez,I       c   2  0  1  0  .333
Jones,C           lf  4  0  2  1  .300    Lowell            3b  4  1  1  0  .091
Jones,A           cf  3  0  0  1  .182    Cabrera,M         lf  4  2  1  0  .167
Lopez,JT          c   4  0  0  0  .250    Lee,De            1b  5  1  2  0  .385
Fick              1b  4  1  1  0  .250    Encarnacion       rf  4  1  1  2  .250
Castilla          3b  2  0  0  0  .222    Gonzalez,A        ss  5  0  2  0  .250
Hampton           p   1  0  0  0  .000    Pavano            p   1  0  0  0  .000
 Hernandez,Ro     p   0  0  0  0  .000     Conine           ph  1  0  0  0  .000
 Franco,M         ph  1  0  0  0  .000     Phelps,T         p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Gryboski         p   0  0  0  0  .000     Harris,L         ph  1  0  1  2 1.000
 Mercker          p   0  0  0  0  .000     Helling          p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Bragg            ph  1  0  0  0  .000     Hollandsworth    ph  1  0  1  0 1.000
 Cunnane          p   0  0  0  0  .000     Fox,C            p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Wright,Jar       p   0  0  0  0  .000     Banks            ph  1  1  1  0  .500
                     34  6 10  6                               38  7 15  7
 
Braves                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Hampton                          4.0  9  5  5  2  1  80  46 11.25
Hernandez,Ro                     1.0  2  1  1  2  1  27  13  4.50
Gryboski                         1.2  2  0  0  1  1  23  11  0.00
Mercker                          0.1  0  0  0  0  0   2   1  0.00
Cunnane                          1.0  0  0  0  2  2  21   9  0.00
Wright,Jar       L 0-1           0.2  2  1  1  1  0  15  10  5.40
                                 8.2 15  7  7  8  5 168  90
 
Marlins                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Pavano                           4.0  9  6  6  1  2  90  58 13.50
Phelps,T                         1.0  0  0  0  0  0  11   6  0.00
Helling                          2.0  1  0  0  2  1  35  19  0.00
Fox,C            W 1-0           2.0  0  0  0  0  4  29  20  3.38
                                 9.0 10  6  6  3  7 165 103
 
Atl: Franco,M batted for Hernandez,Ro in the 6th
     Bragg batted for Mercker in the 8th
Fla: Conine batted for Pavano in the 4th
     Harris,L batted for Phelps,T in the 5th
     Hollandsworth batted for Helling in the 7th
     Banks batted for Fox,C in the 9th
 
2B-Giles,M(2), Fick(1), Pierre(1), Lowell(1), Lee,De(2), Encarnacion(2).
HR-Giles,M(2), Sheffield(2). RBI-Furcal(1), Giles,M 2(3), Sheffield(5),
Jones,C(1), Jones,A(5), Pierre 2(2), Castillo,L(2), Encarnacion 2(4),
Harris,L 2(2). SB-Encarnacion(1). K-Furcal 2, Sheffield, Jones,C, Lopez,JT,
Castilla, Bragg, Rodriguez,I, Cabrera,M 2, Lee,De 2. BB-Sheffield,
Castilla 2, Pierre 2, Rodriguez,I 3, Lowell, Cabrera,M, Encarnacion.
SH-Hampton. SF-Jones,A.
GWRBI: Pierre
Temperature: 76, Sky: clear, Wind: left to right at 6 MPH.
Attendance: 42,760
Game Time: 3:22

Game 4:  Horacio Ramirez vs. Brad Penny, Pro Player Stadium

BRAVES WITHSTAND LATE MARLINS RALLY, EVEN SERIES
 Ramirez Pitches Into 8th

MIAMI, Oct. 12 (AP) - Horacio Ramirez allowed two runs in 7 1/3 innings of work and the Atlanta Braves held off a late push by the Florida Marlins to win Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, 6-4, at Pro Player Stadium.  The Braves held a seemingly comfortable lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning but the Marlins scored three runs in the bottom of the frame and the game ended with the potential winning run at home plate.

Atlanta drew first blood with a three-run top of the second against Florida starter Brad Penny.  Robert Fick led off the inning by roping a double to the wall in right-center field and advanced to third on Vinnie Castilla's ground out.  Ramirez then helped himself by slashing a single through the middle, scoring Fick with the first run of the contest.  Penny fanned Rafael Furcal but Marcus Giles belted his third home run of the NLCS.  The two-run shot cleared the scoreboard in left field and put the Braves on top, 3-0.

The Marlins got one of those runs back in the third.  Penny started things off with a one-out single and moved to second on Juan Pierre's ground out.  Ramirez hit Luis Castillo with a 1-2 pitch and Ivan Rodriguez picked up his second hit of the contest when he singled to left.  Penny narrowly beat the throw to the plate from Chipper Jones and the Florida deficit was now 3-1.

Both starting pitchers settled in nicely through five innings, but the Braves broke the game open in the sixth.  With one out, Javy Lopez walked on a 3-2 pitch and Fick followed with another base on balls, putting runners on first and second.  Castilla then cracked a double to left-center and both runners scored to give the Braves a 5-1 lead.  Ramirez picked up his second safety of the game, dropping a single into left field, with Castilla taking third on the play.  Miguel Tejera replaced Penny on the hill and the Marlins infield moved into double play depth.  But Furcal rolled weekly to third base, allowing Castilla to score the third run of the inning as Furcal was thrown out at first.  Giles grounded to first for the final out but Atlanta now held a seemingly insurmountable lead.

The mountain grew taller for the Marlins as Ramirez cruised through the sixth.  Florida put a pair of runners on in the seventh on back-to-back one-out singles by Derrek Lee and Juan Encarnacion but Ramirez coolly worked out of the jam.

In the bottom of the eighth, with Ramirez still on the hill, Pierre grounded out to open the inning, but Castillo picked out a 1-0 fastball and drove into the mezzanine level in left field for a solo home run, cutting the Braves lead to 6-2.  Ray King replaced Ramirez on the mound but was greeted by consecutive singles off the bats of Rodriguez and Mike Lowell, putting runners on first and third.  Miguel Cabrera's nubber off the end of the bat allowed both runners to advance a base as Cabrera was retired at first for the second out; Rodriguez scored on the play to cut the deficit to three.  Lee then doubled into the right field corner, scoring Lowell and making it a 6-4 game.  With the tying run now standing at home plate, Atlanta manager Bobby Cox called on closer John Smoltz who struck out Encarnacion to finally end the uprising.

Ugueth Urbina walked the first two Braves batters he faced in the top of the ninth but recovered, retiring the next three batters in order to keep the deficit at two runs.

Smoltz retired Gonzalez to open the bottom of the ninth but pinch hitter Lenny Harris singled.  Pierre followed by shooting a base hit of his own to left, putting runners on first and second.  Castillo lifted a fly ball to the warning track in left for the second out with Harris tagging and advancing to third.  That brought Ivan Rodriguez, who already had three hits in the contest, to the plate as the last hope for the Marlins.  Smoltz struck him out to end the game with the tying runs on base.

Somewhat overlooked in the aftermath of Atlanta squaring the series is the performance of the Florida bullpen.  Marlins relievers have allowed just two runs on 10 hits in 19 innings of work, including 3 2/3 scoreless frames in Game 4.

A pivotal Game 5, tomorrow at Pro Player Stadium, will feature a rematch of Game 1 starters:  Russ Ortiz for the Braves and Josh Beckett for the Marlins.
10/12/2003, Atl03-Fla03, Pro Player Stadium
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
2003 Braves            0  3  0  0  0  3  0  0  0     6  8  0     9  1
2003 Marlins           0  0  1  0  0  0  0  3  0     4 11  0     8  1
 
Braves               AB  R  H BI   AVG    Marlins              AB  R  H BI   AVG
Furcal            ss  4  0  0  1  .167    Pierre            cf  5  0  1  0  .235
Giles,M           2b  4  1  1  2  .444    Castillo,L        2b  3  1  1  1  .375
Sheffield         rf  4  0  1  0  .500    Rodriguez,I       c   5  1  3  1  .429
Jones,C           lf  5  0  1  0  .267    Lowell            3b  4  1  1  0  .133
 Bragg            lf  0  0  0  0  .000    Cabrera,M         lf  4  0  0  1  .125
Jones,A           cf  3  0  0  0  .143    Lee,De            1b  4  0  2  1  .412
Lopez,JT          c   3  1  0  0  .200    Encarnacion       rf  4  0  1  0  .250
Fick              1b  2  2  1  0  .300    Gonzalez,A        ss  4  0  0  0  .188
 Franco,Ju        ph  1  0  0  0  .250    Penny             p   2  1  1  0  .500
Castilla          3b  4  1  2  2  .308     Tejera           p   0  0  0  0  .000
Ramirez,H         p   4  1  2  1  .500     Looper,B         p   0  0  0  0  .000
 King             p   0  0  0  0  .000     Conine           ph  1  0  0  0  .000
 Smoltz           p   0  0  0  0  .000     Willis           p   0  0  0  0  .000
                     34  6  8  6           Urbina           p   0  0  0  0  .000
                                           Harris,L         ph  1  0  1  0 1.000
                                                               37  4 11  4
 
Braves                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Ramirez,H        W 1-0           7.1  6  2  2  1  3  97  61  2.45
King                             0.1  3  2  2  0  0  11   6 13.50
Smoltz           S 1             1.1  2  0  0  0  2  21  14  0.00
                                 9.0 11  4  4  1  5 129  81
 
Marlins                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Penny            L 0-1           5.1  6  6  6  5  2 112  63 10.13
Tejera                           1.1  1  0  0  1  1  24  13  0.00
Looper,B                         0.1  0  0  0  0  0   4   2  0.00
Willis                           1.0  1  0  0  1  1  12   7  1.93
Urbina                           1.0  0  0  0  1  1  16   9  0.00
                                 9.0  8  6  6  8  5 168  94
 
Atl: Franco,Ju batted for Fick in the 7th
     Franco,Ju moved to 1b in the 7th
     Bragg inserted at lf in the 9th
Fla: Conine batted for Looper,B in the 7th
     Harris,L batted for Urbina in the 9th
 
2B-Fick(2), Castilla(1), Lee,De(3). HR-Giles,M(3), Castillo,L(1).
RBI-Furcal(2), Giles,M 2(5), Castilla 2(2), Ramirez,H(1), Castillo,L(3),
Rodriguez,I(3), Cabrera,M(1), Lee,De(4). K-Furcal 2, Jones,A, Lopez,JT,
Ramirez,H, Rodriguez,I 2, Lee,De, Encarnacion, Gonzalez,A. BB-Furcal,
Giles,M, Sheffield, Jones,A 2, Lopez,JT 2, Fick, Castillo,L. HBP-Castillo,L.
HB-Ramirez,H.
GWRBI: Ramirez,H
Temperature: 76, Sky: clear, Wind: right to left at 6 MPH.
Attendance: 42,628
Game Time: 3:21

Game 5:  Russ Ortiz vs. Josh Beckett, Pro Player Stadium

BRAVES,BEHIND RELENTLESS OFFENSE, CLAIM GAME 5
 Lopez Bangs Out 5 Hits, Drives in 7

MIAMI, Oct. 13 (AP) - The Atlanta Braves, behind a withering offensive attack, scored 13 times on 17 hits and subdued the Florida Marlins 13-9 to take a 3-2 lead in the National League Championship Series at Pro Player Stadium.  Braves catcher Javy Lopez had five hits, including a three-run double, and drove in seven to lead the Atlanta bats.  Marcus Giles added four hits and scored twice.  Giles now has 12 hits in the NLCS.  A combined five errors by the two clubs was indicative of some sloppy fundamental play, but Atlanta is now just one win away from the World Series as the NLCS heads back to Turner Field for Game 6 following a travel day.

The Braves set the tone for the contest in the top of the first inning.  With one out, Giles doubled and advanced to third on a long fly ball to right off the bat of Gary Sheffield.  Marlins starter Josh Beckett then walked both Chipper and Andruw Jones on a grand total of eight pitches to load the bases.  That brought Lopez to the plate and he laced a double to the right-center field gap, clearing the bases for a 3-0 Braves lead.

The Marlins immediately countered with a pair of runs off Braves starter Russ Ortiz.  Juan Pierre drew a lead-off walk, stole second and took third when Luis Castillo reached on first baseman Robert Fick's fielding error, leaving runners on the corners.  Ivan Rodriguez then doubled to left-center, scoring Pierre and chasing Castillo to third.  Mike Lowell followed with a sacrifice fly to right, plating Castillo to cut the Braves lead to 3-2.

Another error provided Florida with the assistance necessary to tie the game in the third inning.  Shortstop Rafael Furcal booted Castillo's lead-off grounder, allowing him to reach first and a subsequent stolen base put a runner on second with no outs.  Rodriguez grounded to second, advancing Castillo to third and Lowell followed with a single to center, tying the game at three.

But the Braves surged back into a lead they would never surrender in the fifth, driving Beckett from the game in the process.  Sheffield singled on the first pitch of the inning and Chipper Jones doubled him to third.  Andruw Jones' slow grounder to third allowed Sheffield to score and Chipper Jones to advance, leaving a runner on third with one out amid a 4-3 Atlanta advantage.  Lopez came through again, dropping a single into right field for a 5-3 Braves lead and Lopez's fourth RBI of the contest.  Tommy Phelps replaced Beckett at this point and got Fick on a grounder to second, but Lopez moved into scoring position on the play and, after Vinnie Castilla was walked intentionally, Ortiz came through with his second hit of the game.  His single to left-center scored Lopez to give Atlanta a 6-3 lead.

Again the Marlins tried to counter in the bottom of the inning.  Pierre led off with a single and stole his second base of the game.  Castillo then lined a sharp single to center, with Pierre stopping at third.  Rodriguez rolled into a double play, scoring Pierre to make it 6-4, but clearing the bases with two outs.  Lowell, however, lined another base hit and then advanced to second when Miguel Cabrera's grounder was kicked by Giles for the third Braves error of the game.  Altanta manager Bobby Cox replaced Ortiz with Kevin Gryboski who walked Derrek Lee to load the bases.  But Juan Encarnacion struck out to end the inning with the Braves still on top.

Atlanta effectively put the game away in the top of the sixth.  With one out, Sheffield reached on an error charged to left fielder Cabrera, who misplayed a fly ball.  Chipper Jones singled to center, putting runners on first and second.  Braden Looper replaced Phelps but walked Andruw Jones to fill the bases.  For the third time in the contest with runners in scoring position, Lopez came through, singling to center field.  Sheffield and Chipper Jones scored and Andruw Jones moved to third.  Looper then uncorked a wild pitch, scoring Jones to give the Braves a 9-4 lead.  Fick was walked intentionally but Castilla singled to make it 10-4,with Fick advancing to third.  Matt Franco hit for Gryboski and Looper unleashed his second wild pitch of the inning, allowing Fick to score and Castilla to move to second.  Franco and Furcal grounded out to finally end the inning, but the Braves had scored five times and now held an 11-4 lead.

That essentially put the game to bed.  The Marlins got a run back in their half of the sixth when, after loading the bases with none out against Roberto Hernandez, Castillo hit into a fielder's choice, allowing Alex Gonzalez to score.  But two more runs crossed the plate for the Braves in the seventh on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Andruw Jones and Javy Lopez's RBI single to increase the lead to 13-5.

Florida scored two runs in each of the final two frames.  Gonzalez cracked a two-run home run off Will Cunnane in the bottom of the eighth and, in the ninth, RBI ground outs by Cabrera and Lee accounted for the final two tallies, but the Marlins were never even able to get the tying run out of their own dugout.
10/13/2003, Atl03-Fla03, Pro Player Stadium
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
2003 Braves            3  0  0  0  3  5  2  0  0    13 17  3    11  2
2003 Marlins           2  0  1  0  1  1  0  2  2     9  9  2     7  2
 
Braves               AB  R  H BI   AVG    Marlins              AB  R  H BI   AVG
Furcal            ss  6  0  0  0  .125    Pierre            cf  3  2  1  0  .250
 Blanco           c   0  0  0  0  .000    Castillo,L        2b  5  2  1  1  .333
Giles,M           2b  6  2  4  0  .500    Rodriguez,I       c   5  1  2  1  .421
Sheffield         rf  5  3  1  0  .429    Lowell            3b  3  1  2  2  .222
Jones,C           lf  5  3  3  0  .350    Cabrera,M         lf  5  0  0  1  .095
 Garcia,J         ss  0  0  0  0  .000    Lee,De            1b  4  0  0  1  .333
Jones,A           cf  3  2  0  2  .118    Encarnacion       rf  4  1  0  0  .200
Lopez,JT          c   6  2  5  7  .381    Gonzalez,A        ss  4  2  3  2  .300
 Mercker          p   0  0  0  0  .000    Beckett           p   1  0  0  0  .000
Fick              1b  3  1  1  0  .308     Phelps,T         p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Franco,Ju        ph  1  0  0  0  .200     Looper,B         p   0  0  0  0  .000
Castilla          3b  3  0  1  1  .313     Hollandsworth    ph  0  0  0  0 1.000
 Cunnane          p   0  0  0  0  .000     Willis           p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Bragg            lf  0  0  0  0  .000     Harris,L         ph  1  0  0  0  .667
Ortiz,Ru          p   3  0  2  1  .333     Fox,C            p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Gryboski         p   0  0  0  0  .000                         35  9  9  8
 Franco,M         ph  1  0  0  0  .000
 Hernandez,Ro     p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Wright,Jar       p   0  0  0  0  .000
 DeRosa           ph  1  0  0  0  .000
                     43 13 17 11
 
Braves                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Ortiz,Ru                         4.2  6  4  2  1  2  77  49  4.09
Gryboski                         0.1  0  0  0  1  1  11   4  0.00
Hernandez,Ro     H 1             1.0  1  1  1  2  0  21  11  6.00
Wright,Jar       W 1-1           1.0  0  0  0  0  1  15  10  3.38
Cunnane                          1.0  1  2  2  1  0  19  12  6.00
Mercker                          1.0  1  2  2  1  0  20  12  9.00
                                 9.0  9  9  7  6  4 163  98
 
Marlins                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Beckett          L 0-2           4.1  9  6  6  2  3  74  46 18.00
Phelps,T                         1.0  2  2  1  1  0  23  12  4.50
Looper,B                         0.2  2  3  3  2  0  24   8 13.50
Willis                           2.0  3  2  2  2  0  31  16  4.05
Fox,C                            1.0  1  0  0  0  1  15  10  2.45
                                 9.0 17 13 12  7  4 167  92
 
Atl: Franco,M batted for Gryboski in the 6th
     Franco,Ju batted for Fick in the 7th
     Franco,Ju moved to 1b in the 7th
     DeRosa batted for Wright,Jar in the 8th
     DeRosa moved to 3b in the 8th
     Blanco inserted at c in the 9th
     Garcia,J inserted at ss in the 9th
     Bragg inserted at lf in the 9th
Fla: Hollandsworth batted for Looper,B in the 6th
     Harris,L batted for Willis in the 8th
 
E-Furcal, Giles,M, Fick, Castillo,L, Cabrera,M. 2B-Giles,M(3), Jones,C(1),
Lopez,JT(3), Rodriguez,I 2(3). HR-Gonzalez,A(1). RBI-Jones,A 2(7),
Lopez,JT 7(10), Castilla(3), Ortiz,Ru(1), Castillo,L(4), Rodriguez,I(4),
Lowell 2(2), Cabrera,M(2), Lee,De(5), Gonzalez,A 2(2). SB-Pierre 2(3),
Castillo,L(2). K-Furcal, Jones,A, Lopez,JT, Castilla, Cabrera,M, Lee,De 2,
Encarnacion. BB-Sheffield, Jones,C, Jones,A 2, Fick, Castilla 2, Pierre 2,
Lowell, Lee,De, Encarnacion, Hollandsworth. SH-Beckett. SF-Jones,A, Lowell.
WP-Ortiz,Ru, Mercker, Looper,B 2.
GWRBI: Jones,A
Temperature: 84, Sky: clear, Wind: out to left at 7 MPH.
Attendance: 42,288
Game Time: 3:16

Game 6:  Mark Redman vs. Greg Maddux, Turner Field

BRAVES UPEND MARLINS, HEADED TO WORLD SERIES
 J. Franco's HR in 6th Breaks Deadlock

ATLANTA, Oct. 15 (AP) - Julio Franco's two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning snapped a 2-2 tie and the Atlanta Braves went on to defeat the Florida Marlins 7-2 at Turner Field, winning the National League Championship Series in six games.  The Braves head to the World Series to face the winner of the ALCS, either the Chicago White Sox or Boston Red Sox.

Greg Maddux allowed two runs in six innings of work and was credited with the win.  The Atlanta bullpen held the Marlins scoreless over the final three innings.

The contest remained tight until the Braves broke the game open with three runs in the eighth inning.

Florida scored first, on Juan Encarnacion's solo home run off Maddux in the top of the second inning, but the Braves took the lead for the first time in the fourth.  Gary Sheffield led off with a single to right off Marlins starter Mark Redman.  Chipper Jones flied to shallow right and Andruw Jones struck out but Javy Lopez belted his second home run of the series, inside the left field foul pole, for a 2-1 Atlanta advantage.

The Marlins knotted the game in the fifth on Ivan Rodriguez's long, two-out solo home run into the left field seats above the scoreboard.  Despite tying the game, Florida missed a chance to take the lead.  After the Rodiguez long ball, Mike Lowell, Miguel Cabrera and Derrek Lee all singled, loading the bases, but Maddux escaped further damage by retiring Encarnacion on a fly to right.

The Braves took the lead for good in the sixth.  With one out, Lopez flared an 0-2 offering from Redman into shallow right for a base hit.  That brought Julio Franco to the plate and he crushed a first pitch fast ball over the left-center field wall, to the right of the scoreboard, for a two-run home run and a 4-2 Atlanta advantage.

The Marlins missed a chanced to at least cut into that lead in the seventh.  Kevin Gryboski replaced Maddux on the mound for the Braves to start the inning and yielded a lead-off single to Luis Castillo and a four-pitch walk to Rodriguez.  With the tying runs on base and no outs, Braves manager Bobby Cox replaced Gryboski with Will Cunnane who immediately induced Lowell to roll into an around the horn double play, leaving Castillo at third base with two outs.  Cunnane then walked Cabrera on a full count pitch but then, after going full with Lee as well, struck the Florida first baseman out to retain the two-run lead.

That was pretty much the end for the Marlins.  In the bottom of the eighth, the Braves busted the game wide open.  Facing Rick Helling, Robert Fick pinch hit for Franco and lined a lead-off double to right-center.  Vinnie Castilla popped out and pinch hitter Darren Bragg lined to third but Rafael Furcal made it 5-2 with an RBI-single to right-center.  Marcus Giles walked on four pitches, advancing Furcal to second, and Braden Looper replaced Helling.  But Sheffield greeted Looper with a base hit to center, bringing Furcal home and Chipper Jones followed with a single to left, scoring Giles.  The Braves now led 7-2.

John Smoltz came on for the top of the ninth and allowed a lead-off single to Juan Pierre but then retired Castillo, Rodriguez and Lowell to close out the win to the roar of the sellout crowd.

Javy Lopez and Marcus Giles were declared co-recipients of the NLCS Most Valuable Player Award.  Lopez hit .400 in the series, with three doubles, two home runs and an overwhelming 12 runs batted in.  Giles finished the series hitting a cool .500 (14-for-28), with three doubles, three home runs and nine runs scored.  He also drove in five runs.  Left out in the cold was Gary Sheffield despite hitting .458 (11-for-24) with a double, two home runs, six driven in, 10 runs scored and six walks. 

For the series, the Braves--the top-scoring team in the NL during the regular season--hit .312 with a .390 on-base percentage and .490 slugging percentage.  Atlanta scored 44 runs, or 7.3 runs per NLCS game.  The Marlins (.270/.349/.427, 30 runs, 5.0 R/G) put up solid offensive marks themselves but ultimately were no match for the firepower of the Braves.
10/15/2003, Fla03-Atl03, Turner Field
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
2003 Marlins           0  1  0  0  1  0  0  0  0     2  9  0    11  0
2003 Braves            0  0  0  2  0  2  0  3  x     7 13  0    10  1
 
Marlins              AB  R  H BI   AVG    Braves               AB  R  H BI   AVG
Pierre            cf  4  0  2  0  .292    Furcal            ss  5  1  2  1  .172
Castillo,L        2b  5  0  2  0  .346    Giles,M           2b  4  1  2  0  .500
Rodriguez,I       c   4  1  1  1  .391    Sheffield         rf  3  1  2  1  .458
Lowell            3b  5  0  1  0  .217    Jones,C           lf  5  0  1  1  .320
Cabrera,M         lf  3  0  1  0  .125     Smoltz           p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Urbina           p   0  0  0  0  .000    Jones,A           cf  5  0  0  0  .091
 Looper,B         p   0  0  0  0  .000    Lopez,JT          c   4  2  2  2  .400
Lee,De            1b  3  0  1  0  .333    Franco,Ju         1b  3  1  2  2  .375
Encarnacion       rf  3  1  1  1  .217     Fick             ph  1  1  1  0  .357
Gonzalez,A        ss  4  0  0  0  .250    Castilla          3b  3  0  0  0  .263
Redman,M          p   3  0  0  0  .000    Maddux            p   2  0  0  0  .000
 Helling          p   0  0  0  0  .000     Franco,M         ph  1  0  1  0  .250
 Conine           lf  1  0  0  0  .000     Gryboski         p   0  0  0  0  .000
                     35  2  9  2           Cunnane          p   0  0  0  0  .000
                                           King             p   0  0  0  0  .000
                                           Bragg            ph  1  0  0  0  .000
                                                               37  7 13  7
 
Marlins                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Redman,M         L 1-1           5.1  7  4  4  2  5  84  54  6.97
Helling                          1.0  2  0  0  1  2  28  16  0.00
Urbina                           1.1  2  3  3  1  1  18  10  8.10
Looper,B                         0.1  2  0  0  0  0  11   5 11.57
                                 8.0 13  7  7  4  8 141  85
 
Braves                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Maddux           W 1-1           6.0  7  2  2  2  3  92  62  5.25
Gryboski                         0.0  1  0  0  1  0   7   2  0.00
Cunnane          H 1             1.0  0  0  0  1  1  18  11  4.50
King             H 1             1.0  0  0  0  0  0   6   4  7.71
Smoltz                           1.0  1  0  0  0  1  14  11  0.00
                                 9.0  9  2  2  4  5 137  90
 
Fla: Conine inserted at lf in the 7th
Atl: Franco,M batted for Maddux in the 6th
     Fick batted for Franco,Ju in the 8th
     Bragg batted for King in the 8th
     Fick moved to 1b in the 9th
     Bragg moved to lf in the 9th
 
2B-Fick(3). HR-Rodriguez,I(1), Encarnacion(2), Lopez,JT(2), Franco,Ju(1).
RBI-Rodriguez,I(5), Encarnacion(5), Furcal(3), Sheffield(6), Jones,C(2),
Lopez,JT 2(12), Franco,Ju 2(2). SB-Pierre(4), Lee,De(1). K-Pierre,
Castillo,L 2, Lee,De, Redman,M, Furcal, Giles,M, Jones,A 2, Lopez,JT,
Castilla 2, Maddux. BB-Rodriguez,I, Cabrera,M, Lee,De, Encarnacion, Giles,M,
Sheffield 2, Castilla. HBP-Pierre. HB-Maddux. WP-Helling.
GWRBI: Franco,Ju
Temperature: 55, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: out to right at 14 MPH.
Attendance: 50,104
Game Time: 2:58