Not So Fast Sweep Not In The Cards As Gaetti’s Grand Slam Ties Series

Not so fast, Atlanta Braves.

These St. Louis Cardinals could be more than just a little speed bump on your drive back to the World Series.

Gary Gaetti hit a game-breaking grand slam off Greg Maddux in the seventh inning and the Cardinals startled the Braves 8-3 Thursday night, evening the N.L. championship series at one win apiece.

“A lot of people have seen Atlanta play in the postseason. Not as many people have seen us play,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. “A lot of people don’t know we’re legitimate competitors.”

The Cardinals came in with a plan, scoring three early runs with their usual, scrappy style. They put it away when Gaetti connected for the first home run of this series.

Not only did the Cardinals become the first team to solve Atlanta’s awesome pitching in the playoffs - and extend Maddux’s string of spotty October starts - they also ended the defending World Series champions’ eight-game home winning streak in the postseason.

“It’s tough to come in here and beat the Braves,” Gaetti said. “I’d heard they hadn’t lost a game here in… . Whatever it is, it’s sweet.”

The Cardinals took away the home-field edge in the best-of-7 series, which now shifts to Busch Stadium for the next three games. The Braves went 6-0 at St. Louis this season, and the Cardinals will try to reverse that trend Saturday when Donovan Osborne starts against Tom Glavine.

“It’s better than 0-2,” Gaetti said after the split. “We got something to prove against these guys this year. They swept us at home.”

Gaetti’s two-out slam capped a five-run seventh and finished Maddux, who matched a career high by allowing eight runs. The inning was set up when third baseman Chipper Jones threw away a bunt, ironic because it was Jones’ bunt in Game 1 that was botched by the Cardinals in a 4-2 loss.

“I needed to make one more pitch to Gaetti,” Maddux said. “First pitch slider. Real good, huh? Must have hung a lot.

“It’s a five-game series now,” he said. “I don’t think anybody expected to win them all.”

Ray Lankford’s sacrifice fly gave St. Louis a 4-3 lead and, with Maddux laboring, the Cardinals loaded the bases with two outs on an intentional walk to Brian Jordan.

Gaetti spoiled that strategy, and the entire evening for the sellout crowd of 52,067, by lining the next pitch over the fence in left-center. It was the fifth slam in N.L. championship series history, and the second off Maddux - Will Clark of San Francisco connected in 1989 when he pitched for the Chicago Cubs.

“I thought he would work his way out of it,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said. “That was going to be his last inning.”

By the end of the game, the stadium was about half-full. Then again, it was full at the start, compared to the 3,000 empty seats for Game 1.

For Gaetti, who led Minnesota to an improbable World Series championship over St. Louis in 1987, it was his third hit of this postseason, two of them homers. The slam gave the victory to Todd Stottlemyre, who was 0-3 against Atlanta this year.

The Cardinals came out trying to steal bases and hit to the opposite field, yet Gaetti’s homer was the evening’s highlight.

With the score 3-all, Mike Gallego led off the seventh with a single that nearly hit Maddux in the head, the ball deflecting off the glove of the seven-time Gold Glove winner for a single.

La Russa, criticized for not ordering a bunt in the seventh inning of a tie game Wednesday night, asked pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney to sacrifice.

Sweeney popped up his bunt, which Jones trapped with a dive. Jones threw over little second baseman Mark Lemke covering first, putting runners at second and third and setting up the big inning.

Jones left the game later with a bruised left ankle, hurt when he fouled a ball off his foot.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Cardinals 8, Braves 3 St. Louis Atlanta ab r h bi ab r h bi Clayton ss 4 2 2 0 Grssom cf 5 2 2 2 Lnkfrd cf 3 1 0 1 Lemke 2b 3 0 1 0 Gant lf 5 1 3 1 CpJnes 3b 4 0 0 0 BJrdn rf 4 1 2 1 Avery p 0 0 0 0 Gaetti 3b 5 1 1 4 McGrff 1b 3 0 0 0 Mabry 1b 4 0 1 0 Klesko lf 4 0 1 1 Pgnozzi c 4 0 1 0 Dye rf 4 0 0 0 Gallego 2b 4 1 1 0 EdPrez c 1 0 0 0 Sttlmyr p 2 0 0 0 Pndlton ph 1 0 0 0 Sweney ph 0 1 0 0 JLopez c 1 0 1 0 Ptkvsk p 0 0 0 0 Blauser ss 4 1 0 0 DYung ph 1 0 0 0 GMddx p 2 0 0 0 Hnyctt p 0 0 0 0 McMcl p 0 0 0 0 Eckrsly p 0 0 0 0 Polonia ph 1 0 0 0 Neagle p 0 0 0 0 Mrdcai 3b 1 0 0 0 Totals 36 8 11 7 Totals 34 3 5 3 St. Louis 102 000 500 - 8 Atlanta 002 001 000 - 3 E-Clayton (1), Gallego (1), Grissom (1), CpJones (1). DP- Atlanta 1. LOBSt. Louis 6, Atlanta 7. 2B-Gant (1), BJordan (1), Pagnozzi (1). HR-Gaetti (1), Grissom (1). SB-Clayton (1), Grissom (1). S-Sweeney. SF-Lankford. St. Louis IP H R ER BB SO Sttlmyr W,1-0 6 4 3 3 3 8 Petkovsek 1 0 0 0 0 0 Honeycutt 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 Eckersley 1-2/3 1 0 0 0 1 Atlanta IP H R ER BB SO GMaddux L,0-1 6-2/3 9 8 3 2 3 McMichael 1/3 1 0 0 0 1 Neagle 1 0 0 0 0 2 Avery 1 1 0 0 1 1 WP-GMaddux. Umpires-Home, Hirschbeck, M.; First, Davidson; Second, West; Third, Crawford; Left, Montague; Right, Runge. T-2:53. A-52,067 (52,710).