Braves turn to Cy Young trio

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Posted: Monday October 12, 1998 12:38 AM

No Cy Young, no problem: Denny Neagle made his first start since September 17, and gave the Braves 5 2/3 effective innings AP

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The Atlanta Braves can now call upon their Cy Young Award delegation to try and make history.

The Braves, trying to become the first major league team to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-7 playoff, kept their hopes alive Sunday night by beating the San Diego Padres 8-3 in Game 4 of the NL championship series.

John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, who have won a total of six NL Cy Young Awards -- one each for Smoltz and Glavine and four for Maddux -- are primed and ready to go in Game 5 and, the Braves hope, Games 6 and 7.

None of the trio managed to win while starting the first three games of the series, but all pitched reasonably well.

While coming back from a 3-0 deficit has never happened, the Braves know what it's like to rebound from a 3-1 hole to win a best-of-7 series, having done it two years ago in the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals.

And they face a 3-1 hole now.

"The fact that we've done it proves we can," Glavine said. "That's something to draw on. We just have to take it one game at a time."

Smoltz, who has an 11-3 record in 22 postseason starts and went 17-3 this season, will start against Andy Ashby on Monday night in Game 5. Both acquitted themselves well in San Diego's 3-2, 10-inning victory in Game 1.

"We've got a tough task, let's not kid ourselves," Smoltz said. "There are no excuses. They flat out beat us in the first three games.

"There's no quit in this clubhouse. If any team can think it can happen, it's us. I want to be the guy that allows us a chance to go back to Atlanta. They don't want to go back to Atlanta, they want to finish it here."

Denny Neagle, the only Atlanta starter without a Cy Young to his credit and who was making his first start since September 17, gave the Braves 5 2-3 effective innings Sunday night, allowing seven hits and three runs while walking one and striking out seven.

Neagle admitted he had extra motivation due to speculation he might be bypassed in favor of Smoltz in Game 4, something pitching coach Leo Mazzone said was never considered.

"He's won 36 games in the last two years and been a huge part of our rotation," Mazzone said of Neagle. "You've got to win four in a row anyway. What are you going to do, tire everyone out? You can't go away from one of the great rotations of all time.

"Now, we have the opportunity to roll the rotation over and try to put a streak together. You can only win one game at a time."

Neagle said Sunday night's win gave the Braves confidence.

"We don't feel like a team that's down 3-1," he said. "We aren't pushing the panic button. We knew we had to win one game tonight and we did. Now, we need to win tomorrow night to go back to Atlanta.

"Who knows what might happen. John Smoltz is one of the great clutch pitchers in this game."

If nothing else, the Braves avoided being swept in a best-of-7 series for the first time ever. But that's of little consequence; they're more interested in making history, and they're one-quarter of the way there.

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