Trouble on Home Front

There were no taunts or boasts Wednesday afternoon in the Atlanta Braves’ clubhouse.

The Braves made sure not to say anything that would anger, or even mildly irritate the Dodgers, but they made it obvious what they’re thinking.

The Dodgers are in trouble.

Serious trouble.

The Dodgers, in a game they believed they had to win, lost to the Braves, 2-1, in 10 innings in the opening game of their National League division playoff series in front of an announced crowd of 47,428 at Dodger Stadium.

Atlanta catcher Javier Lopez ruined the Dodgers’ day by leading off the 10th with a home run into the seats in right-center field against reliever Antonio Osuna for the game-winner. It was the Dodgers’ first extra-inning playoff game since Oct. 7, 1981, and keeps them winless in postseason play since Game 5 of the 1988 World Series.

The Dodgers now have the nasty task of having to beat the defending World Series champions in three of the next four games in this best-of-five series, with the last three games scheduled at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

And, oh yes, tonight they face four-time Cy Young Award-winner Greg Maddux.

“This was a big blow to them and a huge lift for us,” said Atlanta starting pitcher John Smoltz, who gave up only four hits in nine innings and earned the victory. “They’re not out of it, but it’s a big blow.”

The trouble is that the Dodgers are in one of their worst hitting slumps of the season and now must try to overcome it against the finest starting rotation in baseball.

The Dodgers have scored one run in their last 27 innings, only six in 49 innings during the last five games. Little wonder why they have yet to win a game in a week.

“We realize we’re playing a team that has lost five in a row and has run into some tough luck,” Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones said. “We know the pressure’s on them. Their pitching is what keeps them in the game. If we can come out [today] and score some runs, we can put a death grip on them.”

The most frustrating aspect of all, Dodger starting pitcher Ramon Martinez said, is knowing that one mistake can cost a game. He pitched one of his strongest games of the season, giving up only four hits in eight innings, but watched it go to waste when Lopez homered.

“When he hit the home run,” Martinez said, “I felt that was it. We had a hard enough time scoring that one run. I knew we were in trouble. I can’t say we gave up, but the way we’ve been struggling. . . .

“When you have a problem like we have, it’s tough knowing that every time you go out there you know you can’t give up anything. If you give up three runs, that’s pretty much it. It’s tough to pitch that way.

“We should have won this game. We pitched good enough. We just didn’t hit the way we’re supposed to hit.

“I would say it’s going to be pretty tough now.”

The Dodgers actually were fortunate to score the one run off Smoltz, who won 24 games during the season and is considered a shoo-in for the Cy Young Award. Gagne led off the fifth with a double to right-center. Martinez popped up a bunt attempt. Wayne Kirby then grounded to first for the second out.

That brought up rookie left fielder Todd Hollandsworth, who was in a two-for-29 slump. Smoltz threw a split-fingered pitch and jammed Hollandsworth, only to watch the ball squirt off the end of his bat into left field for a run-scoring single. It was the Dodgers’ first run in 24 innings.

Smoltz stared at Hollandsworth in disbelief, but never let it rattle him. Smoltz retired the final 13 batters he faced, finishing his 125-pitch gem by throwing 17 consecutive strikes.

“He had the pressure on him because he had the monster season that people have been looking for,” Atlanta pitcher Tom Glavine said. “Now they’re saying, ‘Now that you’ve done it, can you still be as dominant in postseason as you have in the past?’ It’s unfair, but we’ve all gone through it.”

The only time that Smoltz appeared vulnerable was when he started to tire in the ninth. Mike Piazza ended the eighth with a fly ball to the wall, and Eric Karros opened the ninth by hitting a line drive that appeared to be heading over center fielder Marquis Grissom’s head. Karros took off running, but so did Grissom, and he made a beautiful over-the-shoulder catch, tumbling to the ground.

The play was spectacular considering that Grissom is playing with a partially torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder that has required several cortisone shots the last two months.

“In this game, no pain, no gain,” Grissom said. “You have to play with pain this time of year. I owe it to myself and the team.”

The Braves, who hit only two fly balls to the outfield against Martinez, exhaled when Martinez left the game after eight innings. The Dodgers brought in Scott Radinsky, then followed with hard-throwing Osuna, who lost Game 2 of the National League playoffs last season.

Osuna got ahead of Lopez with two quick strikes, but couldn’t put him away. Lopez worked the count to 3 and 2 and fouled off two pitches. Osuna tried to throw a fastball over the inside part of the plate. It instead tailed over the plate, and was belted over the fence.

“It looked like he was waiting for that pitch,” Osuna said. “As soon as he hit it, I said, ‘Oh, my God.’ ”

Said Karros: “When you get a guy 0 and 2, you’ve got to put him away. Smoltz had me 0 and 2 with guys on base, and he got me out. Smoltz had Piazza 0 and 2 with guys on base, and he got him out. You’d like to see him [Osuna] put away a guy in that situation. . . .

“It’s a tough way to lose a game.

“Grissom makes a great play. Lopez has a great at-bat. And the game’s over.”

Mark Wohlers made it official by closing out the 10th inning for the Braves.

The Dodgers now must find some way to regroup. Yet they now are facing Maddux at 5 p.m. today. In Game 3, they’re facing Glavine, who has not lost a playoff game at home since 1991. Then, it’s back to Smoltz.

“It’s disheartening,” said Dodger shortstop Greg Gagne, who had two of the Dodgers’ five hits. “We know it’s going to be difficult. You try to forget about it, but that’s the way things have been going for us.

“We just haven’t been able to get over that hump.”

And that hump now looks like Mt. Everest.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Series Glance

* GAME 1--Atlanta 2, Dodgers 1 (10)

* TODAY--Atlanta (Maddux 15-11) at Dodgers (Valdes 15-7), 5 p.m., Ch. 11

* SATURDAY--Dodgers (Nomo 16-11) at Atlanta (Glavine 15-10), 1:15 p.m., Channel 11

* SUNDAY--at Atlanta, 10 a.m., Channel 5, ESPN*

* MONDAY--Dodgers at Atlanta, 4 p.m., Channel 11*

* if necessary

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

‘Tis the Season

John Smoltz’s postseason record:

*--*

G IP H ER BB SO W-L ERA 14 93 2/3 84 27 33 86 6-1 2.59

*--*

HIGHLIGHTS

* 1991--Shut out Pirates, 4-0, in Game 7 of NL Championship Series. Shut out Twins over 7 1/3 innings of Game 7 of World Series. Braves lost game, 1-0, in 10 innings.

* 1992--MVP of NLCS against Pirates after going 2-0. Went 1-0 against Blue Jays in World Series, winning Game 5.

* 1993--Lost for the first time in postseason despite striking out 10 Phillies in 2-1 loss in Game 4 of NLCS.

* Holds NLCS career record with 46 strikeouts.

*

* BATTERY POWERED

The pitching of John Smoltz and the hitting of catcher Javier Lopez proved a potent one-two punch for Braves. C6

* GAME 2 AT A GLANCE: C6

* BY THE NUMBERS: C7

* NOTES: C7