NLDS GAME 4
Braves 6
Cubs 4
CHICAGO – Chipper Jones hadn’t hit a lick through the first three games of the Division Series, but he was moved up in the lineup yesterday with Gary Sheffield unavailable. And the Braves are still alive today because Jones’ bat finally showed some life.
With Sheffield out due to a sore left hand, Jones smashed two-run homers from both sides of the plate as the Braves survived a tense ninth inning and a must-win scenario with a 6-4 victory in Game 4 of the Division Series.
“Everybody knows what we were up against,” said Sheffield, who proclaimed himself “50/50” for tonight. “We pulled it out.”
Added Jones: “We were just able to scrape and claw, and I got two balls to go out. I knew I was going to have to come through in a big spot today.”
Kerry Wood opposes Mike Hampton tonight at Turner Field in the do-or-die clincher. In the span of a day, the Braves have gone from perennial October chokers to a dangerous veteran presence.
“We’re gonna be ready for [today],” said Sammy Sosa, who flied out to deep center as the tying run off John Smoltz to end the game, sending a raucous crowd of 39,983 home in disappointment. “Kerry Wood is going to make things different.”
Smoltz entered in the ninth to protect a three-run lead and immediately made things interesting. He allowed a run on back-to-back doubles by Randall Simon and Damian Miller but then retired the next three men in order, escaping on a deep flyout to center against Sosa on a full count.
After center fielder Andruw Jones caught it, Smoltz bent over visibly shaken and then relieved.
“I don’t like it to be that close,” Smoltz said. “Those are the situations when . . . you can’t be afraid, you can’t be tentative, you can’t second-guess.”
Batting lefty, Jones smashed the tie-breaking homer in the fifth to center off loser Matt Clement, and he blistered a two-out jack to left-center in the eighth off former Met Mark Guthrie to give Atlanta a 6-2 edge.
“I backed them up real good,” Jones said. “I didn’t have a real powerful swing on the second one, but my timing was good, and I hit it right on the barrel.
“The ball seemed to be carrying pretty good to left field late in the game. I was just glad to see people reaching for it.”
Pitching on three days’ rest, Russ Ortiz allowed two runs on seven hits over five-plus frames. Clement, who pitched the postseason clincher last Saturday at Wrigley, only lasted a shaky 42/3 innings.
“Deep down in my heart, I didn’t want to admit it, but I thought it was going to go five games,” Baker said.
“If we don’t get it done, we can’t say we didn’t have our chances,” Smoltz said.