Atlanta vs. Houston

        Records: Braves 88-74, NL East champions; Astros 93-69, NL Central champions.

        Season series: Tied 3-3.

        Managers: Bobby Cox is 1,349-1,053 (.562) in 16 years with the Braves, 52-45 (.536) in the postseason; Larry Dierker is 448-362 (.554) in five years with the Astros, 2-9 (.182) in the playoffs.

        Pitching matchups: Game 1 — RHP Greg Maddux (17-11, 3.05) vs. RHP Wade Miller (16-8, 3.40); Game 2 — LHP Tom Glavine (16-7, 3.57) vs. RHP Dave Mlicki (11-11, 6.17); Game 3 — RHP John Burkett (12-12, 3.04) vs. RHP Shane Reynolds (14-11, 4.34); Game 4 — RHP Kevin Millwood (7-7, 4.31) vs. RHP Roy Oswalt (14-3, 2.73).

        On the spot: Maddux went 0-4 with a 3.95 ERA in his last seven starts, his longest stretch without a win since 1991. He is 10-11 in 26 career postseason outings (24 starts).

        Series keys:

        • 1. Braves 3B Chipper Jones went 12-for-24 (.500) against the Astros, including three homers and eight RBI. Teams regularly pitched around him in the final five weeks.

        • 2. A high ankle sprain has knocked out Braves catcher Javy Lopez for the first round and possibly the rest of the season. Taking his place are ex-Marlin/Astro Paul Bako (one career postseason at-bat) and veteran Eddie Perez, who missed most of the season with injuries.

        • 3. Astros 1B Jeff Bagwell is 5-for-39 (.128) with 15 strikeouts and no extra-base hits in the playoffs. 2B Craig Biggio is 5-for-42 (.119) with one RBI. In 11 games they have scored a combined seven runs. More of the same, and the Astros could exit fast.

        Worth noting: Braves are the first playoff team with a losing home record (40-41). ... The Astros have won the NL Central in four of Dierker's five seasons as manager. They bounced back after finishing fourth last year. The Astros fell in the first round in each of their past three playoff trips. The Braves beat them in '97 and '99, while the Padres knocked them out in '98. ... Injuries marred the Astros' rotation down the stretch, costing them RHP Pedro Astacio and LHP Carlos Hernandez. Oswalt, who had made a push for Rookie of the Year, has been hobbled by a severe groin pull and might not pitch at all in this series. ... Braves have won 10 straight division titles, best among North American sports franchises. Braves scored just 729 runs this year, 71 fewer than last year and lowest among playoff teams.

        Prediction: Astros in five.

        St. Louis vs. Arizona

        Records: Cardinals 93-69, NL wild card; Diamondbacks 92-70, NL West champions.

        Season series: Cardinals won 4-2.

        Manangers: Tony LaRussa is 507-464 (.522) in six seasons with the Cardinals, 10-8 (.556) in the playoffs; Bob Brenly is in his first season with the Diamondbacks.

        Pitching matchups: Game 1 — RHP Matt Morris (22-8, 3.16) vs. RHP Curt Schilling (22-6, 2.98); Game 2 — RHP Woody Williams (15-9, 4.05) vs. LHP Randy Johnson (21-6, 2.49); Game 3 — RHP Darryl Kile (16-11, 3.09) vs. RHP Miguel Batista (11-8, 3.36); Game 4 — RHP Dustin Hermanson (14-13, 4.45) or LHP Bud Smith (6-3, 3.83) vs. RHP Albie Lopez (9-19, 4.81).

        On the spot: Cardinals 1B Mark McGwire had a miserable year, batting a career-worst .188 and averaging a strikeout every 2.5 at-bats. After serving as little more than a decoy in last year's playoffs, his knees improved but only modestly this year.

        Series keys:

        • 1. The Cardinals could see Schilling twice after not facing him during the regular season. Johnson will pitch just once. He is 2-6 in nine career playoff outings (eight starts), including losses in his last six postseason decisions, a major league record.

        • 2. Last year at this time, Cardinals utilityman Albert Pujols was in the Arizona Fall League, putting the finishing touches on his only minor league season. He will get MVP consideration after posting one of the greatest rookie seasons in history. Now he faces a new challenge: playoff pitching.

        • 3. Late-inning turnabout could be a theme in this series, considering neither club has a dominant closer. Arizona sidewinder Byung-Hyun Kim was 19-of-23 in save chances, but blew two of his last six tries down the stretch. RHP Dave Veres and LHP Steve Kline lead a seemingly average Cardinals committee.

        Worth noting: Cardinals fell to the New York Mets in five games in the NLCS last year. Their last World Series appearance came in 1987. ... The Diamondbacks missed the playoffs last year after winning 100 games and the NL West title in 1999, their second year of existence. ... Johnson, favored to win his fourth Cy Young Award and third straight in as many seasons with the Diamondbacks, was 0-2 with a 7.90 ERA against the Cardinals this year. Both starts, however, came in early April.

        Prediction: Cardinals in four.

New math: Turning 47 into 40 New club seats going on sale Baseball readies for wild postseason Maddux, Mariners and maybe McGwire begin playoff quest Baseball playoff schedules American League playoffs overview National League playoffs overview

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