Braves Set To Finish L.A. Story

Fred McGriff’s solo shot barely cleared the fence and rookie Jermaine Dye’s was never in doubt. And just like that, with two seventh-inning homers, the Atlanta Braves moved within one win of sweeping the Dodgers.

McGriff and Dye had two of Atlanta’s three solo homers and Greg Maddux pitched seven strong innings as the Braves defeated Los Angeles 3-2 to take a two-game lead in their best-of-5 N.L. playoff series.

The defending World Series champions head home with a chance to close the series with a win by Tom Glavine in Game 3 on Saturday.

“I guess this is the best-case scenario that can ever be,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said. “We’ve won two on the road, now we have to win one at home. Of course, that’s a big one.

“Are we going to go to Atlanta up 2-0 and be complacent? Heck, no. We can’t wait to get to the ballpark every day. These are big games. I don’t even sleep much because I’m nervous.”

The Braves, who won the opener 2-1 on a 10th-inning homer by Javy Lopez, got just five hits, but three were homers. Ryan Klesko had the other off Ismael Valdes.

“Three bad pitches, three solo homers,” Dodger manager Bill Russell said, looking grim. “You can’t make bad pitches against a club like that.”

Maddux, Greg McMichael and Mark Wohlers combined on a three-hitter as the Braves polished off the Dodgers in just 2 hours, 8 minutes.

Maddux, who left after the seventh because his right hamstring tightened up on him, gave up two unearned runs and three hits, struck out seven and walked none. The right-hander threw 72 pitches, 58 for strikes.

McMichael pitched the eighth, and Wohlers had a perfect ninth for his second save in two days.

Atlanta’s pitchers retired the final 16 Dodgers following Raul Mondesi’s RBI double in the fourth.

“I thought we made some good pitches late in the game yesterday and late in the game today,” said Maddux, who said his leg was feeling OK. “I really believe good pitching stops good hitting. I think because we respect their hitters so much, our focus is better and our concentration is better.”

The Braves had to overcome two costly errors that led to the Dodgers’ runs. Dye, who had 12 homers in the regular season, homered with one out in the seventh for the decisive run off Valdes after McGriff led off the inning with a homer that tied it 2-2.

“He gave me a curve ball that was hanging inside,” Dye said. “I tried to drive it, and it got out of the ballpark.”