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Tuesday, August 26, 1997

Braves, Astros meet again in possible preview of divisional playoffs

By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros are clinging to leads in their divisions, which adds a sense of excitement to the three-game series that begins Tuesday night at Turner Field.

And if both teams manage to hang on to first place, they'll meet again five weeks from now in a series that would have even more importance - the NL divisional playoffs.

So, wouldn't this be a good opportunity for the Braves to send a message to their possible playoff opponent? The players hardly see it that way.

"I wouldn't call it a playoff preview," Atlanta shortstop Jeff Blauser said. "We're not there and neither are they. There's 32-33 games left. A lot can happen."

Maybe it's the familiarity of both teams that prevents them from getting too pumped up about gaining an upper hand in August when there could be another meeting at the end of September.

"With a team like the Astros, it doesn't matter," Braves first baseman Fred McGriff said. "Basically, they have the same guys they've had since I've been in the National League: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Derek Bell. We've seen these guys a lot over the years."

Of course, both teams must be more concerned with what's behind them rather than what's ahead. Heading into Monday's play, the Florida Marlins trailed Atlanta by only four games in the NL East, while the Astros' lead in the Central had dropped to just three games over the streaking Pittsburgh Pirates.

"It may be a bigger series for them," said third baseman Chipper Jones, who made a critical error Sunday in a 6-4 loss to Cincinnati that ended the Braves' four-game winning streak. "Their lead's only three over the Pirates. We need to keep winning too, putting pressure on the Marlins. Four games can evaporate mighty quick."

The Braves have been in a miserable hitting slump most of the month, but their starting pitching has prevented a prolonged skid. The Big Four - Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Denny Neagle - have a combined record of 8-3 with a 2.04 ERA in August.

Glavine (11-6), Maddux (17-3) and Neagle (17-3) will start against the Astros, who were swept by Atlanta in a two-game series at the Astrodome last week. For the season, the Braves hold a 5-3 edge.

"We've had some success with them, and I have more success against Houston than a lot of other clubs," said Glavine, who will start Tuesday night against Shane Reynolds (6-8). "But they'll play you close. They're a scrappy bunch with good contact hitters, improved pitching and reliable defense."

The Astros have lost six of 10 after showing signs of running away in the Central. Bagwell is having another MVP-type season (34 homers, 108 RBIs) and Darryl Kile (17-3, 2.28) is a top contender for the Cy Young Award.

Kile will start the final game of the series against Neagle.

"I like a lot of hits in a game, but if I were a fan I'd sure watch Thursday's matchup," Blauser said. "That's two guys with a Cy Young chance. Kile's having a great year. When hitters talk about nasty pitchers, they mention Maddux, (Florida's Kevin) Brown and Kile. But you're hearing more and more talk about Denny. He's had a nasty year."

One thing that's almost certain in the Braves-Astros series: every game will be close. Of the eight meetings this season, five were decided by one run and the others by two.

"There's excellent pitching on both sides," Jones said. "We'll probably have low-scoring, one-run games, like we had over there last week." Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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