Atlanta Braves Ryan Klesko, right, congratulates his teammates Mark Lemke and Marquis Grissom in the first inning as they score on a double by Chipper Jones during Game five of the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals Monday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Photo by Beth A. Keiser/AP

Braves still down 3-2 in National League championship series

Web-Posted

By Tony Fabrizio
Morris News Service

ST. LOUIS - Construction crews waiting to put the wrecking ball to Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium will have to hold off. The old ballpark will be needed at least one more time.

Responding to a pre-game talk by manager Bobby Cox by scoring two more runs than they had in the previous four games combined, the Atlanta Braves practically laughed off elimination in the National League Championship Series on Monday night with a stunning 14-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

``He just told us that if there was ever a team that could come back from a 3-1 deficit, it's this team because of our starting pitching,'' said third baseman Chipper Jones of Cox's message. ``We felt coming in that we could turn this series around with a couple of plays. But first things first. We knew we had to win this one so we could live to fight another day in Atlanta.''

The Braves still trail the Cardinals three games to two in the best-of-seven series, and will send four-time defending Cy Young award winner Greg Maddux against Donovan Osborne in Game 6 on Wednesday night (8:11, FOX-54). Tom Glavine, the 1991 Cy Young winner, is waiting in the wings to pitch a deciding seventh game.

``I believe what we did today woke us up,'' said catcher Javy Lopez, who had the biggest night at the plate, with a solo home run, two doubles, a single and four runs scored. ``This has given us the same feeling we had middle of the season when we were playing really well.

``We like our chances with Greg Maddux. It's OK that he lost the first time (in Game 2). The type of pitcher he is, he isn't going to lose again.''

The Braves raised their batting average in the series from .213 to .296 after scoring only 12 runs in the first four games. Facing an embarrassing early exit in the series, the defending world champions exploded with a League Championship-record 22 hits off of five Cardinal pitchers.

St. Louis starter Todd Stottlemyre faced only 12 batters and was shelled for seven runs. Danny Jackson gave up three more in only three innings.

``It really wasn't very much fun or exciting as it's been here in the first two games,'' said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. ``Todd's stuff wasn't normal. His location wasn't. Before we could escape it - sometimes you can escape it - they had (scored multiple runs).''

Other Braves with big nights were leadoff man Marquiss Grissom with three hits, an RBI and two runs; Mark Lemke with a double, three singles, an RBI and two runs; and Jones with three RBI. Fred McGriff broke out of a terrible NLCS funk with a two-run homer and an RBI single, and Jeff Blauser had a two-run triple.

The onslaught overshadowed yet another postseason gem pitch by John Smoltz, who is likely to keep the Cy Young in the Braves family this year. Smoltz improved to 8-1 in his 15th postseason start by shutting out the Cardinals on seven hits through seven innings. Mike Bielecki, Terrell Wade and Brad Clontz contributed to the shutout.

Smoltz also singled twice and drove in a run and was robbed by second baseman Luis Alicea of a third hit.

``Now you can say we have somewhat of an advantage again, but it doesn't matter if we don't win Game 6,'' Smoltz said. ``If we can get to Game 7, we'll have the advantage because of our experience, and Glavine's been through the mill.''

Stottlemyre beat the Braves in Game 2, but pitching on three days' rest this time, he looked like a rookie up from the lower minor leagues. His outing was the shortest in the NLCS since Glavine was rocked similarly by Pittsburgh in 1992.

Averaging only eight hits per game coming in, the Braves jumped on Stottlemyre with four straight hits. Grissom dropped a Texas Leaguer into right, and Lemke doubled to the wall in center. With runners at second and third, Jones doubled to left field to bring in the first two runs. McGriff, hitting .077 through Game 4, drove in his first run of the series with a bloop single over short.

With two out, Jermaine Dye reached on yet another dink single. Blauser then put an end to the dinks, tripling to the center field wall between a converging Willie McGee and Brian Jordan to bring in Dye and make it 5-0.

Grissom and Lemke opened the second with singles, and Jones drove in his third run with a single up the middle. That chased Stottlemyre, who fell to 1-4 in League Championship appearances.

Jackson, who has pitched in the League Championships with five teams, came on and promptly was tagged by Ryan Klesko for RBI single.

The Braves jumped on Jackson for three more runs in the fourth on successful RBI singles by Smoltz, Grissom and Lemke. Lopez blasted a 410-foot home run off Tony Fossas in the fifth to make it 11-0.

Light-hitting Rafael Belliard drove in the 12th run in the eighth with a hard shot up the middle off of Mark Petkovsek. McGriff added a two-run homer off Rick Honeycutt in the top of the ninth.

No team has come back from a 3-1 deficit in NLCS play, but six teams have done it in the World Series. The Cardinals are the only team in history to twice blow 3-1 leads - in 1968 against Detroit and 1985 against Kansas City.