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 Fall guys It's October, so the Braves must be in the NLCS
Posted: Sunday October 04, 1998 11:44 PM
ATLANTA (AP) -- The surest bet in sports? It might be the Atlanta Braves in the division series. While the Braves have struggled in the World Series, winning only once in four tries this decade, they've owned the best-of-5 round that was added in 1995, treating it as nothing more than some bothersome gnat to be swatted away on the road to the NL championship series. Atlanta finished off its third straight sweep with a 6-2 victory Saturday over the Chicago Cubs. Overall, the Braves are 4-for-4 in the first round, losing only once in 13 games. "We expect to win," said Greg Maddux, who completed a dominating three days by Atlanta pitching in the clinching game at Wrigley Field. The Braves move on to play in their seventh straight NLCS, a feat that's even more remarkable considering the extra round of playoffs they've had to get through the last four years. "It is a grind," manager Bobby Cox said. "It is something that will be hard to do for any club with the format that's out there now." After beating Colorado 3-1 in 1995, Atlanta swept Los Angeles, Houston and now the Cubs. Over the last three years, the Braves have given up only 14 runs in nine first-round games. Atlanta, 4-2 in the championship series since 1991, will meet San Diego in the NLCS, which begins Wednesday at Turner Field. The Padres defeated Houston in four games, winning the finale 6-1 Sunday night. In a champagne-soaked clubhouse, the Braves were in no mood for reflection. As usual, the season won't be considered a success unless they win another World Series title, so there's eight more victories to go. "It really hasn't sunk in yet," Cox said. "The organization has had tremendous success. We have had great teams for a long time and to be able to [play in the NLCS seven straight times] is really something, trying to keep it all together, keeping your players as healthy as you can, things like that."
As long as the Braves keep their magnificent pitching staff together, they will always be a contender. Just ask the Cubs, who averaged more than five runs a game during the season but managed only four in three games against the Braves, hitting a minuscule .181 as a team. "I've always thought that good pitching beats good hitting," Maddux said after proving that point. "We pitched them good and came away with the win." He'll get no argument from the Cubs -- especially Sammy Sosa. After hitting 66 homers in his memorable duel with Mark McGwire, he went 2-for-11 in the division series with no homers or RBIs. "They've got a better team," Sosa said. "They've got better pitching." The Atlanta starters were masterful. John Smoltz went 7 2-3 innings in Game 1, surrendering five hits and a run. Tom Glavine gave up only three hits and a run in Game 2. Then Maddux finished it off by allowing seven hits and two runs in Game 3. Still, the difference was in the bullpen. While Chicago's relievers surrendered nine runs in 6 1-3 innings, their no-name Atlanta counterparts -- Kerry Ligtenberg, John Rocker, Rudy Seanez and Odalis Perez -- pitched 6 1-3 scoreless innings, giving up just two hits. Atlanta didn't even need its other two starters, 17-game winner Kevin Millwood and 16-game winner Denny Neagle, who were sent to the bullpen for the division series. Cox will have to decide if he wants to stick with a three-man rotation for the best-of-7 championship series, or take a chance on Neagle's bursitis-stricken left shoulder in Game 4. The Braves expressed no preference about their opponent in the next round. "I'm just glad we're going," Maddux said. Where else would they be this time of year?
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