'96 Braves split with '70 Reds

Game 1 saw the Big Red Machine tag Greg Maddux for 4 runs in the opening inning. Gary Nolan gave up only 4 hits and two earned runs as the Reds won 6-2. Bernie Carbo and Lee May both went 2-3.

Game 2 was a blowout. John Smoltz gave up 9 runs in a little over 5 innings worth of work. Jim Merritt scattered 5 hits enroute to a complete game shutout. Catalyst Bobby Tolan had 4 hits for the Reds. Chipper jones had 3 of Atlanta's 5 hits. Johnny Bench and Lee May both homered.

Game 3 pitted Jim McGlothlin against future HOF'er Tommy Glavine. Cincy jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the second and looked poised to take the first 3 games of the series. Light hitting Woody Woodward singled home Lee May who had walked. The second run was accounted for by a Chipper Jones fielding error at third. The Crime Dog, Fred McGriff lead off the bottom of the 4th with a 425 foot tape measure shot to center to cut the deficit to one. Glavine was flirting with trouble until the 6th when he finally ran out of gass and was replaced by mike Bielecki. Before he could leave Glavine was the beneficiary of a 3 run 6th that gave the Braves a 2 run lead that they would not relinquish. 4 consecutive singles by Klesko, Dye, Blauser and Perez help account for the runs. Glavine squeezed home one run himself with a perfectly executed bunt down the 3rd base line. Wohlers notched his 3rd save as he came on to pitch a scoreless 9th.

Game 4 was the most exciting game of the series. Flame throwing Wayne Simpson faced rookie Terrell Wade. Both starters threw 109 pitches before leaving. Simpson managed to spread his out over 8 innings, while Wade only lasted until there was 1 out in the 5th. The Braves struck first when Javy Lopez homered to lead off the 3rd. That lead lasted half an inning as Cincy scored 2 in the top of the 4th when Bench and May hit back to back solo shots. The Reds added 1 more in the 8th when catlyst Bobby Tolan lead off with a triple. Atlanta pulled in the infield and both Pete Rose and Tony Perez hit sharp grounders right at people as Tolan looked to be stranded. With Bench stepping to the plate lefty Pedro Borbon Jr. was replaced with right Greg McMichael who promptly served up an RBI double to Bench. The bottom of the frame saw the Braves get the run back when Mark Lemke hit a sac fly to plate Javy Lopez. Still that left the Braves down 3-2 with only 3 outs left. Wayne Simpson looked about out of gas, so Don Gullett came on in relief to start the 9th. Chipper Jones was forced to hit from the right side of the plate and promptly lined out back to the originator for the first out. Scheduled up next was the hot Ryan Klesko, who traditionally has issues with lefties. The Braves went to the bench and brought in 19 year old Andruw Jones to pinch hit. Jones laced a triple down the right field line and scored 1 batter later when Jermaine Dye singled him home to tie tie game at 3. Gullett looked rattled and when Javy Lopez single and took second on an error by Tolan the Braves had runners on 2nd and 3rd with only 1 out and Jeff Blauser stepping to the plate. Normally the 8th place hitter would not get anything to hit, but since there was already a pinch hitter on deck the Reds decided to pitch to him. Blauser worked the count to 2-1 before hitting a hanging slider from Gullett deep into the left field pavilion for a walk off 3 run homer as the Braves earned a split with the Reds.