NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISIONAL SERIES


    San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves  

Game 1:  Jason Schmidt vs. Russ Ortiz, Turner Field

BRAVES EXPRESS ROLLS ON IN POSTSEASON OPENER
 Ortiz Bests Schmidt

ATLANTA, Sept. 30 (AP) - The Altanta Braves were the best team in baseball during the 2003 regular season and the well-oiled machine continued its near flawless performance with a 5-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants in the opening game of the National League Divisional Series at Turner Field.  Braves starter Russ Ortiz worked a strong 7 1/3 innings and the top-scoring offense in the National League drove Cy Young Award candidate Jason Schmidt from the mound in the fifth inning en route to the win.

There was a "been there, done that" feel to Game 1 for the Braves, who led all of baseball with 116 regular season victories.  After Edgardo Alfonzo gave the Giants a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the top of the second inning, Ortiz effectively shut the San Francisco offense down for the rest of the game.  Ortiz walked three batters, but two of those instances were clear cases of pitching around hitters. 

The Atlanta offense, meanwhile, wasted little time before roughing up Schmidt.

Robert Fick started off the third inning with the Braves' first hit, a single through the box.  Vinny Castilla then reached on an infield single, putting runners on first and second.  Ortiz helped himself by laying down a successful sacrifice bunt, advancing the runners to second and third with one out.  With the infield back, Rafael Furcal slashed a grounder to shortstop Rich Aurilia, who fumbled the ball to the ground for an error.  Fick scored to tie the game and Castilla took third on the play.  Marcus Giles then scored Castilla with a sacrifice fly to center field and the Braves had a lead they would never surrender.

Schmidt avoided more damage in the fourth when he stranded the bases loaded but in the fifth, the Braves took full charge of the game.  With one out, Giles drove a ball into the left-center field gap between Barry Bonds and Marquis Grissom for a double.  Gary Sheffield then blooped a double into no man's land down the right field line, scoring Giles to put Atlanta on top 3-1.  Chipper Jones drew a walk and Andruw Jones followed by roping a Schmidt offering into the same gap as Giles for the inning's second two-bagger.  Sheffield and Chipper Jones both scored and the Braves lead grew to 5-1.  That was it for Schmidt.

Ortiz sailed into the eighth inning, though Atlanta manager Bobby Cox was ever mindful of his pitch count.  After retiring Ray Durham on a fly to center, Cox replaced Ortiz, who left to a standing ovation from the sellout crowd, with left-hander Ray King.  King retired pinch hitter Pedro Feliz before yielding a double to Aurilia and walking Bonds.  Will Cunnane replaced King and got Alfonzo on a fielder's choice grounder to end the threat.

John Smoltz came on in the ninth in a non-save situation and pitched around a lead-off double to Benito Santiago to close out the game.

9/30/2003, SF03-Atl03, Turner Field
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
2003 Giants            0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0     1  6  1     8  0
2003 Braves            0  0  2  0  3  0  0  0  x     5 11  0    10  1
 
Giants               AB  R  H BI   AVG    Braves               AB  R  H BI   AVG
Durham            2b  3  0  0  0  .000    Furcal            ss  5  0  0  1  .000
Snow              1b  3  0  0  0  .000    Giles,M           2b  4  1  3  1  .750
 Feliz            ph  1  0  0  0  .000    Sheffield         rf  4  1  1  1  .250
Aurilia           ss  4  0  2  0  .500    Jones,C           lf  3  1  0  0  .000
Bonds             lf  2  0  1  0  .500    Jones,A           cf  3  0  1  2  .333
Alfonzo           3b  4  1  1  1  .250    Lopez,JT          c   4  0  2  0  .500
Santiago,B        c   4  0  1  0  .250    Fick              1b  4  1  2  0  .500
Grissom           cf  4  0  1  0  .250    Castilla          3b  3  1  2  0  .667
Cruz,Jo           rf  3  0  0  0  .000    Ortiz,Ru          p   2  0  0  0  .000
Schmidt           p   0  0  0  0  .000     King             p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Herges           p   0  0  0  0  .000     Cunnane          p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Galarraga        ph  1  0  0  0  .000     Franco,M         ph  1  0  0  0  .000
 Christiansen     p   0  0  0  0  .000     Smoltz           p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Rodriguez,Fe     p   0  0  0  0  .000                         33  5 11  5
 Nathan           p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Hammonds         ph  1  0  0  0  .000
                     30  1  6  1
 
Giants                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Schmidt          L 0-1           4.1  6  5  3  4  5  91  50  6.23
Herges                           1.2  2  0  0  0  0  21  13  0.00
Christiansen                     0.1  0  0  0  0  1   5   3  0.00
Rodriguez,Fe                     0.2  2  0  0  0  0  12   7  0.00
Nathan                           1.0  1  0  0  0  2  21  14  0.00
                                 8.0 11  5  3  4  8 150  87
 
Braves                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Ortiz,Ru         W 1-0           7.1  4  1  1  3  4 102  64  1.23
King                             0.1  1  0  0  1  0  11   5  0.00
Cunnane          H 1             0.1  0  0  0  0  0   2   2  0.00
Smoltz                           1.0  1  0  0  0  2  17  11  0.00
                                 9.0  6  1  1  4  6 132  82
 
SF : Galarraga batted for Herges in the 7th
     Feliz batted for Snow in the 8th
     Feliz moved to 1b in the 8th
     Hammonds batted for Nathan in the 9th
Atl: Franco,M batted for Cunnane in the 8th
 
E-Aurilia. 2B-Aurilia(1), Santiago,B(1), Giles,M(1), Sheffield(1),
Jones,A(1). HR-Alfonzo(1). RBI-Alfonzo(1), Furcal(1), Giles,M(1),
Sheffield(1), Jones,A 2(2). SB-Giles,M(1). CS-Sheffield. K-Alfonzo,
Santiago,B, Grissom, Cruz,Jo 2, Hammonds, Furcal, Giles,M, Sheffield 2,
Jones,C, Lopez,JT, Ortiz,Ru, Franco,M. BB-Durham, Bonds 2, Cruz,Jo,
Sheffield, Jones,C, Jones,A, Castilla. SH-Schmidt 2, Ortiz,Ru. SF-Giles,M.
GWRBI: Giles,M
Temperature: 61, Sky: clear, Wind: right to left at 8 MPH.
Attendance: 50,028
Game Time: 3:16

Game 2:  Sidney Ponson vs. Horacio Ramirez, Turner Field

BRAVES WIN IN WILD, IMPROBABLE FASHION
 Rally Twice in Last AB, Winning Run Scores on Error

ATLANTA, Oct. 1 (AP) - The Atlanta Braves finished the regular season with an incredible 42-15 record in one-run games, so perhaps it shouldn't have been a shock when, upon facing their first tight postseason game, they'd come out on top.  But given the way that it happened, it was surprising nonetheless.  Twice the Braves went into their last at-bat in Game 2 of the NLDS trailing the San Francisco Giants and twice they fought back to tie the contest before ultimately prevailing, 6-5 in 12 innings, on a throwing error following a questionable baserunning decision.  The bottom line was a crushing loss for the Giants who limp back to San Francisco facing elimination with one more defeat.

Game 2 started innocently enough.  The Braves broke out on top in the bottom of the second inning when Javy Lopez deposited a Sidney Ponson offering into the left field seats for a one-out solo home run.  The Giants responded by taking the lead in the third with a two-out rally against Atlanta starter Horacio Ramirez.  Ray Durham doubled off the left-center field wall and Rich Aurilia followed with a blast into the grandstand in left-center, giving San Francisco a 2-1 lead.

The Braves tied the game in the fourth with a two-out uprising of their own.  Robert Fick drew a free pass from Ponson and Vinny Castilla doubled him home, evening the game at 2-all.

That's how things remained until the eighth inning.  Ramirez had been lifted after six, with Jaret Wright tossing a scoreless frame in relief.  Roberto Hernandez replaced Wright to begin the eighth and hit Andres Galarraga with his very first offering.  Galarraga was replaced by pinch runner Neifi Perez.  Hernandez fanned Benito Santiago but then walked Jose Cruz, Jr., putting runners on first and second with one out.  J.T. Snow pinch hit for Ponson and drew the second free pass of the inning, loading the bases.  Hernandez then rose to the occasion and struck out Durham.  But Aurilia followed with a soft single to shallow center, scoring both Perez and Cruz to give the Giants a 4-2 lead.

Joe Nathan tossed a perfect bottom of the eighth for San Francisco and Kent Mercker did the same in the top of the ninth for Atlanta.  Giants closer Todd Worrell came on to nail down the game and even the series at a game apiece. 

Worrell retired Lopez on a grounder to short for the first out but Fick dumped a single into right-center and then moved to second on a Worrell wild pitch.  Worrell fell behind Castilla and ultimately walked him on four pitches, putting the tying runs on base with one out.  Jesse Garcia came on to run for Castilla and Julio Franco was summoned to pinch hit for Mercker.  Franco flared the first pitch he saw down the right field line for a single, scoring Fick and advancing Garcia to third with one out.  Mark DeRosa ran for Franco at first base.  Rafael Furcal then picked on the first pitch he saw, singling up the middle, scoring Garcia to tie the game, but DeRosa was thrown out at third by center fielder Marquis Grissom, taking the winning run out of scoring position.  This play foreshadowed key happenings later in the game.  Marcus Giles lined out to Cruz in right field to end the inning, but the Giants had blown a two-run lead in the ninth.

San Francisco nearly regained the lead in the tenth.  Facing right-hander Kevin Gryboski, Benito Santiago led off with a single and was replaced by pinch runner Jeffrey Hammonds.  Cruz dropped down a perfect sacrifice bunt, moving Hammonds to second.  With the count 1-0 on Snow, Gryboski uncorked a wild pitch, moving Hammonds to third with only one out.  Snow was walked intentionally and Yorvit Torrealba came on to pinch hit for Worrell.  The Braves elected to play for the tiwn kiling and, on a 1-1 pitch, Torrealba complied, rapping a one hopper right at DeRosa who had stayed in the game to play third.  Atlanta went around the horn and the game moved to the bottom of the 10th.

In the 11th, Braves closer John Smoltz entered the game and easily retired Aurilia and Grissom, bringing Barry Bonds to the plate with two outs and the bases empty.  The Braves held a meeting at the mound.  Bonds had already been walked intentionally twice in the game, but Smoltz decided to pitch to the NL MVP candidate.  That was a mistake.  On the very first pitch Bonds launched a solo home run well into the left field seats to put the Giants back on top, 5-4. 

Jim Brower, entering his second inning of work, retired Lopez for the first out.  With a left-handed Robert Fick due up and the pitcher's spot following, the Giants decided to go with southpaw Scott Eyre, as part of a double switch with Pedro Feliz entering to play third base, to try to finish off the game.  But Fick greeted Eyre with a base hit.  Darren Bragg, another left-handed hitter, pinch hit for Smoltz and dropped a single into left field, putting runners on first and second.  That was it for Eyre; Felix Rodriguez replaced him to face right-handed swinging DeRosa.  Rodriguez struck DeRosa out, leaving the Braves down to their last out in the form of Furcal.  But Furcal came through with a single to right; Fick scored to tie the game again.  Giles then lined out to center to end the inning.

The Giants could do nothing with Will Cunnane in the top of the 12th and Rodriguez came out for the bottom of the inning.  Gary Sheffield led off by reaching on an infield hit but, on the second pitch from Rodriguez to Chipper Jones, the ball got away briefly from Torrealba.  Sheffield tried to advance to second but was gunned down for the first out of the inning.  Jones worked the count full and then walked.  Andruw Jones then popped up for the second out.  Lopez singled through the middle and Chipper Jones made the dubious decision to try to advance to third.  Grissom tried to throw Jones out at third base, and probably would have done so, but the throw hit Jones and caromed away from both Feliz at third and Rodriguez who was backing up the play.  Jones scampered home to the delight of the delirious home crowd, giving the Braves a bizarre win and a commanding 2-0 series advantage. 
10/1/2003, SF03-Atl03, Turner Field
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12     R  H  E   LOB DP
2003 Giants            0  0  2  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  1  0     5 12  1    12  1
2003 Braves            0  1  0  1  0  0  0  0  2  0  1  1     6 16  0    10  2
 
Giants               AB  R  H BI   AVG    Braves               AB  R  H BI   AVG
Durham            2b  5  1  2  0  .250    Furcal            ss  6  0  3  2  .273
 Nathan           p   0  0  0  0  .000    Giles,M           2b  6  0  2  0  .500
 Worrell          p   0  0  0  0  .000    Sheffield         rf  6  0  2  0  .300
 Torrealba        ph  1  0  0  0  .000    Jones,C           lf  4  1  0  0  .000
Aurilia           ss  6  1  2  4  .400    Jones,A           cf  6  0  0  0  .111
Grissom           cf  6  0  2  0  .300    Lopez,JT          c   6  1  2  1  .400
Bonds             lf  3  1  1  1  .400    Fick              1b  4  3  3  0  .625
Alfonzo           3b  6  0  1  0  .200    Castilla          3b  3  0  2  1  .667
 Eyre             p   0  0  0  0  .000     Garcia,J         pr  0  1  0  0  .000
 Rodriguez,Fe     p   0  0  0  0  .000     Gryboski         p   0  0  0  0  .000
Galarraga         1b  3  0  2  0  .500     Smoltz           p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Perez,N          pr  2  1  0  0  .000     Bragg            ph  1  0  1  0 1.000
Santiago,B        c   5  0  2  0  .333     Cunnane          p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Hammonds         pr  0  0  0  0  .000    Ramirez,H         p   2  0  0  0  .000
 Brower           p   0  0  0  0  .000     Wright,Jar       p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Feliz            3b  1  0  0  0  .000     Franco,M         ph  1  0  0  0  .000
Cruz,Jo           rf  4  1  0  0  .000     Hernandez,Ro     p   0  0  0  0  .000
Ponson            p   3  0  0  0  .000     Mercker          p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Snow             ph  0  0  0  0  .000     Franco,Ju        ph  1  0  1  1 1.000
                     45  5 12  5           DeRosa           pr  1  0  0  0  .000
                                                               47  6 16  5
 
Giants                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Ponson                           7.0  7  2  2  2  2  95  59  2.57
Nathan           H 1             1.0  0  0  0  0  1   8   7  0.00
Worrell          BS 1            1.0  3  2  2  1  0  16  10 18.00
Brower                           1.1  1  0  0  0  0  14   8  0.00
Eyre                             0.0  2  1  1  0  0   5   4 99.00
Rodriguez,Fe     BS 1, L 0-1     1.1  3  1  0  1  1  30  19  0.00
                                11.2 16  6  5  4  4 168 107
 
Braves                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Ramirez,H                        6.0  9  2  2  2  1  92  60  3.00
Wright,Jar                       1.0  0  0  0  1  1  16  10  0.00
Hernandez,Ro                     1.0  1  2  2  2  2  25  10 18.00
Mercker                          1.0  0  0  0  0  0  10   5  0.00
Gryboski                         1.0  1  0  0  1  0  11   4  0.00
Smoltz                           1.0  1  1  1  0  0  13   9  4.50
Cunnane          W 1-0           1.0  0  0  0  0  0  10   9  0.00
                                12.0 12  5  5  6  4 177 107
 
SF : Perez,N ran for Galarraga in the 8th
     Snow batted for Ponson in the 8th
     Perez,N moved to 2b in the 8th
     Snow moved to 1b in the 8th
     Hammonds ran for Santiago,B in the 10th
     Torrealba batted for Worrell in the 10th
     Torrealba moved to c in the 10th
     Feliz inserted at 3b in the 11th
Atl: Franco,M batted for Wright,Jar in the 7th
     Garcia,J ran for Castilla in the 9th
     Franco,Ju batted for Mercker in the 9th
     DeRosa ran for Franco,Ju in the 9th
     DeRosa moved to 3b in the 10th
     Bragg batted for Smoltz in the 11th
 
E-Grissom. 2B-Durham(1), Grissom 2(2), Santiago,B(2), Furcal(1),
Giles,M 2(3), Fick(1), Castilla 2(2). HR-Aurilia(1), Bonds(1), Lopez,JT(1).
RBI-Aurilia 4(4), Bonds(1), Furcal 2(3), Lopez,JT(1), Castilla(1),
Franco,Ju(1). K-Durham, Grissom, Santiago,B, Ponson, Furcal, Sheffield,
Jones,A, DeRosa. BB-Bonds 3, Cruz,Jo, Snow 2, Jones,C 2, Fick, Castilla.
SH-Cruz,Jo. HBP-Galarraga. PB-Lopez,JT. HB-Hernandez,Ro. WP-Worrell,
Gryboski.
Temperature: 65, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: out to center at 6 MPH.
Attendance: 50,080
Game Time: 3:56

Game 3:  Greg Maddux vs. Jerome Williams, Pacific Bell Park

MADDUX, BRAVES COMPLETE NLDS SWEEP
 Atlanta Wins 119th Game of 2003

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 3 (AP) - Greg Maddux allowed one run over seven strong innings of work and the Atlanta Braves completed their National League Divisional Series sweep of the San Francisco Giants, 4-1 at Pacific Bell Park.  The Braves nursed a 2-1 lead into the ninth before picking up some insurance runs prior to completing the victory.  Atlanta intentionally walked Barry Bonds twice in the game--his third and fourth intentional free passes of the series--and pitched around him on another occasion.  Bonds drew eight walks in the series, most of them of the explicitly intentional or near-intentional variety, and the strategy paid off every time for the Braves.

Atlanta drew first blood when Marcus Giles homered with one out and the bases empty off Jerome Williams in the top of the first.  The Giants drew even in the third.  Williams singled to open the frame, was sacrifice to second by Ray Durham and coasted home on J.T. Snow's double.

The Braves reclaimed the lead in the fourth.  Chipper Jones led off with a base hit and, one out later, scored on a Javy Lopez double off the left-center field wall.

In the fifth, Giles and Gary Sheffield hit back-to-back singles off of Williams with one out.  San Francisco manager Dusty Baker decided to lift Williams in favor of Dustin Hermanson, who had expected by many to be the Game 4 starter.  But Baker calculated that he had to get to Game 4 before worrying about who would start the contest.  Hermanson made him look prescient.  He induced a double play grounder off the bat of Chipper Jones to end the inning and then worked two more perfect frames before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh.

Maddux, meanwhile, allowed only two baserunners after the third inning--a single off the bat of Rich Aurilia and an intentional walk of Bonds.  He left after being lifted for a pinch hitter in the top of the eighth.  In the bottom of the eighth inning, Jaret Wright retired Aurilia on strikes to open the frame, then Ray King came on to face Bonds, eventually walking him.  Will Cunnane replaced King and struck out Benito Santiago and Marquis Grissom to end the inning.

In the top of the ninth, Tim Worrell came on for the Giants and walked Andruw Jones to start the frame.  Lopez flied to right but Robert Fick doubled to left, advancing Jones to third.  Vinnie Castilla then dropped a single down the right field line, scoring both runners to give the Braves a 4-1 lead.

John Smoltz came on for Altanta in the ninth and retired Grissom on a liner to left.  Jose Cruz doubled to left-center, but Andres Galarraga struck out.  Ray Durham wangled a walk, however, bringing the tying run to the plate in the form of pinch hitter Pedro Feliz.  Smoltz struck Feliz out to end the game and the series.

The Braves will now await, and host, the winner of the Marlins-Astros series in the NLCS.
10/3/2003, Atl03-SF03, Pacific Bell Park
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
2003 Braves            1  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  2     4  9  1     6  2
2003 Giants            0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0     1  7  0    10  3
 
Braves               AB  R  H BI   AVG    Giants               AB  R  H BI   AVG
Furcal            ss  5  0  1  0  .250    Durham            2b  3  0  1  0  .273
Giles,M           2b  4  1  2  1  .500    Snow              1b  4  0  1  1  .143
Sheffield         rf  3  0  1  0  .308     Nathan           p   0  0  0  0  .000
Jones,C           lf  4  1  1  0  .091     Worrell          p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Smoltz           p   0  0  0  0  .000     Feliz            ph  1  0  0  0  .000
Jones,A           cf  3  1  1  0  .167    Aurilia           ss  3  0  1  0  .385
Lopez,JT          c   3  0  1  1  .385    Bonds             lf  1  0  0  0  .333
Fick              1b  4  1  1  0  .500    Alfonzo           3b  4  0  1  0  .214
Castilla          3b  3  0  1  2  .556    Santiago,B        c   4  0  1  0  .308
Maddux            p   3  0  0  0  .000    Grissom           cf  4  0  0  0  .214
 Wright,Jar       p   0  0  0  0  .000    Cruz,Jo           rf  4  0  1  0  .091
 King             p   0  0  0  0  .000    Williams,J        p   2  1  1  0  .500
 Cunnane          p   0  0  0  0  .000     Hermanson        p   0  0  0  0  .000
 Bragg            ph  1  0  0  0  .500     Galarraga        ph  2  0  0  0  .333
                     33  4  9  4                               32  1  7  1
 
Braves                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Maddux           W 1-0           7.0  6  1  1  3  3  91  60  1.29
Wright,Jar       H 1             0.1  0  0  0  0  1   4   3  0.00
King                             0.0  0  0  0  1  0   5   1  0.00
Cunnane          H 2             0.2  0  0  0  0  2   9   6  0.00
Smoltz           S 1             1.0  1  0  0  1  2  21  11  3.00
                                 9.0  7  1  1  5  8 130  81
 
Giants                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Williams,J       L 0-1           4.1  7  2  2  3  3  71  42  4.15
Hermanson                        2.2  0  0  0  0  1  18  11  0.00
Nathan                           1.0  0  0  0  0  1  13   8  0.00
Worrell                          1.0  2  2  2  1  1  17   9 18.00
                                 9.0  9  4  4  4  6 119  70
 
Atl: Bragg batted for Cunnane in the 9th
     Bragg moved to lf in the 9th
SF : Galarraga batted for Hermanson in the 7th
     Galarraga moved to 1b in the 8th
     Feliz batted for Worrell in the 9th
 
E-Giles,M. 2B-Jones,A(2), Lopez,JT(1), Fick(2), Durham(2), Snow(1),
Cruz,Jo(1). HR-Giles,M(1). RBI-Giles,M(2), Lopez,JT(2), Castilla 2(3),
Snow(1). K-Furcal, Giles,M, Sheffield, Jones,A, Fick, Maddux, Snow, Aurilia,
Alfonzo, Santiago,B 2, Cruz,Jo, Galarraga, Feliz. BB-Sheffield, Jones,A,
Lopez,JT, Castilla, Durham, Aurilia, Bonds 3. SH-Durham. WP-Smoltz.
GWRBI: Lopez,JT
Temperature: 58, Sky: clear, Wind: out to center at 2 MPH.
Attendance: 40,833
Game Time: 2:34