SAN FRANCISCO — Atlanta manager Bobby Cox feels confident with Keith Lockhart in the Braves' lineup.

        Lockhart started Game 1, then sat Game 2 when lefty Kirk Rueter pitched for San Francisco. He was back for Game 3, and came up big.

        Why did Cox go with him in Saturday's 10-2 win?

        “Defense, basically,” Cox said. “Keith is one of the better defensive second basemen in the game for me and always has been.”

        But Lockhart's offense provided a big boost, too, and is one reason he was back in the lineup for Game 4 Sunday night.

        A non-roster invitee to spring training, he hit a three-run homer off Manny Aybar in the sixth when the Braves broke a 1-all tie and took control for good.

        “He was always noted for his hitting when we traded for him from Kansas City, and he became the league's premier pinch-hitter for us for years, and there's always a hit or two in his bat, big hits,” Cox said.

        ———

        IN HINDSIGHT: Jason Schmidt will probably be dissecting his start Saturday for a long time — or at least until he goes to the mound again in the postseason.

        Schmidt, the losing pitcher for San Francisco against Atlanta in Game 3, was fine until the sixth inning of the eventual 10-2 loss, when he gave up three straight walks to Gary Sheffield, Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones before giving way to Manny Aybar.

        Atlanta scored five runs on the next two pitches from Aybar to break a 1-all tie.

        “I tried to be too careful with the batters,” said Schmidt, who made just his first playoff appearance.

        “I thought when they took me out they wanted Manny to get a double play ball. I just threw too many pitches. I felt too strong out there. I never found my groove out there. I was a little too aggressive with some batters when I should have thought about them a bit.”

        It was that one inning that hurt Schmidt. Yet he did enough to impress his former manager, Bobby Cox. Schmidt began his career with the Braves, getting a World Series ring in 1995 despite not being on the postseason roster.

        “You're not going to have a better fastball or breaking ball than he had,” Cox said. “And the changeups he threw to the left-handers that were in the lineup were unhittable. He just had one tough inning.”

        ———

        TROPHY FOR SALE: Charlie Finley's 1974 World Series owners' trophy is not getting much interest on eBay.

        A Finley relative put the family keepsake up for bid Thursday with a starting price of $325,000. As of Sunday afternoon, there had been four bids — with a top one of $325,300.

        The 30-pound brass and pewter trophy was put on the auction block by Nancy King, who inherited it from her father, Carl Finley, who died in March.

        Carl, a cousin of former A's owner Charlie Finley, was vice president of the A's for 22 years.

        Major league baseball spokesman Richard Levin told the Contra Costa Times that owners' World Series trophies — similar to the much more valuable team trophies — were issued until a few years ago.

        Levin also said there are no restrictions against selling a World Series trophy.

        ———

        GOOD LUCK CHARMS: When it comes to bringing their beloved team good luck, St. Louis Cardinals fans apparently don't depend on things as ordinary as a rabbit's foot.

        Cardinals pitcher Jason Simontacchi's grandmother, 78-year-old Florence Simontacchi of Reno, Nev., simply twitches and wiggles her right hand's little finger. Sonja Nelson calls upon her Mark McGwire jersey.

        Whatever charm is put in play, the Cardinals' faithful think it may just be working.

        On Saturday night, St. Louis closed out its three-game sweep of the World Series champion Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL division series, returning to the NLCS for the second time in three years.

        With the Cardinals just four wins away from a World Series berth, good luck charms and gestures are likely to be out in full force.

        “It's all in the pinkie,” Jason Simontacchi said, smiling, about his grandmother's finger wiggle. “It's about throwing the mojo.”

        ———

        CURSES, CURSES: San Francisco entered Game 4 Sunday 0-for-6 in playoff elimination games. When someone dropped the word “cursed” to manager Dusty Baker, he quickly set them straight.

        “I don't believe in curses, number one,” he said.

        Baker has his own philosophy on how this series has gone:

        “Somebody was predicting it was going to go five — we were hoping it would not go, but it looks like it's going to go five,” he said. “We went down there, we won the first one. They won the second one. They came to our house and they won the first one, so if things continue like that, we'll win the next one and then we'll win the first one over there again.”

Once again, Oakland loses Game 5 in opening round San Fran knots it up Home alone: Yankees not used to early exit MLB playoffs notebook

Colts 28, Bengals 21
Daugherty: Bengals winless but not hopeless
Dillon's dominating day delivers hope in defeat
Rookies see room to improve
Unhappy return for Bengals' Burris
Bengals Week 5 Report Card
Brown denies offer to Jauron
Favre has Bears' number
Indy weighs what NFL team is worth
Bengals' next opponent: Steelers fall to 1-3
Ravens 26, Browns 21
The Patriots go from rocking to reeling
NFL Sunday roundup
NFL Today
NFL injury report
'Lady' captures Spinster
Air Force ranked for first time since '99
Doubts surround OSU despite its perfect start
Irish defense sets tone for surprising season
Parity strikes college football
Sooners game looms large for QB Simms, Longhorns
College football polls
Blue Jackets look ahead after tragedies of last season
Ducks lose OT exhibition
Howell breaks through with victory at Kingsmill
Nancy Lopez supports Augusta's men-only policy
Sorenstam wins Samsung tourney
Da Matta wins race and first CART title
Earhardt wins again in Talladega
Div. II, III boys state golf on tap
High school schedule

• Return to Reds front page...