Padres Turn Atlanta Into Browntown

They rushed to the mound to congratulate him because they understood what had occurred.

It wasn’t the deciding game of the National League championship series, and the San Diego Padres’ work isn’t finished. But Kevin Brown made their jobs easier Thursday night at Turner Field.

Brown was dominant in Game 2 of the championship series--tossing a three-hit shutout in a 3-0 victory against the suddenly shaky Atlanta Braves.

The right-hander overwhelmed the Braves to help the Padres take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series before another non-sellout crowd of 43,083. Brown outperformed Atlanta loser Tom Glavine, who struggled with his control on a chilly and windy Atlanta night.

A night after Padre starter Andy Ashby held the Braves in check in seven strong innings in the opener, Brown was even better in defeating Atlanta for the sixth successive time. He also singled twice in four at-bats and scored San Diego’s second run.

The series shifts to Qualcomm Stadium for Game 3 on Saturday, and the Padres’ intense ace helped his team return home happy.

“That’s as good as I’ve ever seen him against our club,” Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox said. “I saw him pitch a no-hitter on television against the [San Francisco Giants last season], and he had the same type of stuff tonight.

“We just couldn’t hit the guy. We tried as hard as we could, but we just couldn’t get balls to drop. We hit two balls good all night against him, and we had him in trouble a couple of times with walks, but he just kept coming back stronger and stronger. That was just not going to cut it tonight with the way he was throwing.”

Brown, who struck out 11 and walked three, benefited from outstanding command in key situations. He threw 79 strikes in 122 pitches, keeping the Braves guessing by throwing “everything but the kitchen sink” at them.

“I used a variety of stuff tonight,” said Brown, who pitched his first postseason shutout. “Not trying to stay with any one thing consistently, just winging it, probably helped. So I really don’t know what worked the best, because I tried everything against them.”

It appears everything worked.

Atlanta had only two runners reach third base against Brown, who retired the side in order in the first, third, sixth, seventh and ninth. Leadoff batter Quilvio Veras provided all the support Brown needed with a two-out, run-scoring single in the sixth. The Padres scored twice in the ninth to give Brown a cushion--as if he needed that.

Brown’s outing was similar to his stirring two-hit, 16-strikeout performance in a 2-1 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the division series. That sparked the Padres’ evolving playoff run.

“That definitely got us going, having your ace go out in the opener and set the tone like that,” Padre Manager Bruce Bochy said. “To me, these are similar starts.

“He had great stuff tonight and great stuff in Houston. With the stuff he has, when he’s hitting his spots, he’s as good as any pitcher there is out there right now.”

The Braves are convinced.

“There aren’t a lot of guys who are better, you can sure say that,” said Atlanta left fielder Ryan Klesko, who struck out looking for the final out. “He’s got great stuff, and he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. But it’s not like we just found that out.”

Brown has been making an impression on the Braves for some time. The Georgia native is 6-0 with a 1.85 earned-run average in his last eight starts against Atlanta.

Moreover, Brown is 3-0 with a 2.63 ERA in the championship series against the Braves. As a member of the Florida Marlins last season, Brown won Games 1 and 6 of the championship series--pitching a complete game in the clincher.

How does he explain his success against the Braves?

“You don’t,” said Brown, who improved to 2-0 in three starts in the postseason, while lowering his ERA to 0.38.

“It’s just a matter of when things go well, you really try not to question them too much. You just try to keep focused and do what you’re doing--and don’t look back.”

Brown and Glavine are considered among the leading candidates for the NL Cy Young Award, but it was evident who was the best pitcher Thursday.

Glavine, the NL’s only 20-game winner, gave up one run in six innings. But he walked six, and the Padres left the bases loaded in the second and third against Glavine.

“I thought Tommy pitched a valiant game all night,” Cox said. “It was a little windy and a little cold, and it was tough for him to handle the ball. But he pitched out of jams the whole game. He just went up against a guy who we couldn’t hit. . . .

“But with the type of club we have, with our pitching and hitting, we feel we’re capable of reeling off four in a row.”