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Posted: Tuesday October 05, 1999 08:36 PM
ATLANTA (Ticker) -- A righthander and a switch-hitting third baseman again stood out at Turner Field. But they were not Greg Maddux and Chipper Jones.
Shane Reynolds outpitched Maddux and Ken Caminiti hit a three-run homer as the Houston Astros defeated the Atlanta Braves, 6-1, in Game One of their National League Division Series.
Houston also got a solo homer from rookie Daryle Ward and perfect relief from a trio of pitchers, just hours after learning its first-round opponent. The Astros took a lead in a Division Series for the first time.
Working on three days' rest, Reynolds (1-0) gave up just one run and seven hits over six innings for his first win in three career postseason starts. He lost his last three outings and seven of his last nine decisions during the regular season.
"I've been struggling as of late and to come in here and to get the ball in the first game is great," he said. "I was just able to rise to the occassion in six quality innings. It's just exciting."
Maddux (0-1), a four-time Cy Young Award winner, allowed two runs and 14 baserunners over seven innings, falling to 4-1 in six Division Series starts. He is 9-9 with one save in 21 career postseason appearances.
The Braves won an unprecedented eighth straight division title on the strength of their pitching and switch-hitting All-Star third baseman Chipper Jones. But it was Caminiti who put away the game with a three-run blast off Mike Remlinger in the top of the ninth.
"He comes with his experience," Astros second baseman Craig Biggio said. "What he brings to the table as a switch hitter is one of the reasons why we got him. That was huge."
Caminiti's sixth career postseason homer helped the Astros surpass the run total from their entire 1997 Division Series loss to Atlanta. They scored only five runs while hitting .208 in a three-game sweep.
The Astros, who never have won a playoff series, did not know their opponent until Monday night, when the New York Mets defeated Cincinnati in a one-game playoff for the wild card.
Houston arrived in Atlanta having lost six of seven to the Braves this season.
"The season series very easily could have been 6-1 in their favor," Jones said. "There were a lot of close games."
Ward led off the sixth inning with a towering solo homer to right field, snapping a 1-1 tie. During the regular season, the 25-year-old son of former major leaguer Gary Ward had eight homers and 30 RBI in 150 at-bats in a fill-in role.
"There are more games to play so I'm trying not to get too excited," Daryle Ward said. "I don't want to lose my focus."
Reynolds pitched a scoreless inning after Ward's homer, then watched as Trever Miller, Doug Henry and Billy Wagner combined for three perfect innings to seal the win.
Henry retired all five batters he faced, getting Jones to ground out and slugger Ryan Klesko to foul out on two pitches to start the eighth.
"I just went out there and tried to make my pitches," Henry said of the seventh inning. "And then they sent me back out there. I was excited. In a big situation I try not to do more than I'm capable of. I told myself to try and not do anything extra, just make your pitches."
The Astros have lost consecutive Division Series, falling to the San Diego Padres in four games last season. They also lost playoff series in 1980, 1981 and 1986.
"Obviously, in a five game series to win the first game is huge," Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell said. "The last two years we lost the first game and lost the series. At the very least, we'll have the split to go home with."
The Braves are faced with the task of becoming the first team to lose Game One of a National League Division Series and win since the playoff format was expanded in 1995. They had been nearly flawless in the extra round, going 12-1 with 10 straight wins.
"It's a little more pressure on each game," Jones said. "This team's bounced back from a lot of stuff. One big win from (Kevin) Millwood tomorrow and hopefully a split in Houston and maybe we'll get a prime-time slot for Game Five.
"That's baseball. That's the Division Series. The noose tightens quicker in the Division Series. We need to all bring our 'A' games to the ballpark tomorrow."
Houston took a 2-1 lead into the ninth but Remlinger walked pinch-hitter Matt Mieske to start the inning. Stan Javier singled with one out and Bagwell was walked intentionally before Carl Everett's sacrifice fly made it 3-1.
Caminiti, who grounded into an inning-ending double play in the fifth, hit the next pitch off the lefthanded Remlinger just over the left-center field wall. Last season, while with San Diego, Caminiti smacked a game-winning homer off Atlanta's Kerry Ligtenberg in the 10th inning of Game One of the NLCS.
"The guy's a big-time performer," Jones said. "He lives for these kinds of situations. I know his desire to get back to the World Series and have better results is big."
Ward also hit the first pitch in the sixth for his first career postseason homer.
"I think it was middle thigh high," Ward said. "I just took a swing at it. I didn't try to go up there and hit a home run. I just tried to hit it up the middle. I'm glad it stayed up. It kind of looked like a sinker. Whatever it was it stayed up. It felt pretty good."
Atlanta had tied it at 1-1 in the fifth. Jose Hernandez singled and stole second with one out before Gerald Williams snuck a two-out RBI single to center field.
The Braves could have taken the lead in the inning, but Reynolds left the bases loaded by striking out Klesko on a 2-2 pitch.
Maddux also wiggled out of a jam in the top of the frame, leaving the bases packed by getting Caminiti to hit into a double play.
The righthander, who allowed a 258 hits in 219 1/3 innings and went 19-9 with a 3.57 ERA -- his highest since his rookie year of 1987 -- yielded 10 hits and four walks while striking out five.
"I was just missing as close as you can miss," he said. "I would miss it by a hair. I didn't get a call. It's tough sometimes."
In front of 39,119, the smallest NL Division Series crowd in history, The Astros took the lead in the second. Everett bunted for a hit and Caminiti walked to start the inning. After Ward struck out, Tony Eusebio stroked an RBI single to center.
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