Padres on the Verge of Sweep

Their concern wasn’t surprising because situations this bleak typically turn out badly--and the Atlanta Braves aren’t fooling themselves.

The team of the decade is struggling, confused and in big trouble in the National League championship series. And the San Diego Padres are determined to finish the job.

That was apparent while the Padres outplayed the Braves again in a 4-1 victory in Game 3 on Saturday at Qualcomm Stadium--taking a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Less than a week after defeating the Houston Astros’ Randy Johnson in the division series clincher, left-hander Sterling Hitchcock pitched five-plus strong innings in outdueling Brave starter Greg Maddux before a raucous crowd of 62,779 on a splendid afternoon.

The Braves couldn’t score against three Padre relievers, setting the stage for dominant closer Trevor Hoffman. The right-hander overwhelmed the Braves in 1 1/3 scoreless innings--working out of a two-out, bases-loaded jam in the eighth--to nail down a save and the Padres’ record-tying sixth consecutive championship series victory.

Clutch hitting has been among the keys for the Padres during their impressive playoff run--and it was again Saturday.

They scored twice with two out in the fifth to take a 2-1 lead on a run-scoring double by Steve Finley, and a run-scoring single by Ken Caminiti. They scored twice in the eighth to put the game out of reach with the hard-throwing Hoffman on the mound.

Atlanta repeatedly squandered opportunities, leaving the bases loaded three times. That brings them to Game 4 today, facing elimination with history not on their side.

No team has overcome a 3-0 postseason deficit--and the Braves aren’t making bold predictions.

“Yeah, we’re in a very tough situation, and we’re very frustrated, there’s no question about that,” said first baseman Andres Galarraga, among many Braves who aren’t producing offensively.

“We’re down, 3-0, we can’t score runs, and we can’t make the plays [defensively]. Our pitchers . . . we can’t help our pitchers. We have a good team, but we aren’t playing good now. It’s difficult to explain, but we have to do something fast.”

That much they understand.

The Padres need only one victory to win their second National League pennant and advance to the World Series. One more loss would complete another playoff flop for the Braves, who are playing in their seventh consecutive championship series.

But the experience factor isn’t helping them now.

“That doesn’t matter much at this point,” said left fielder Ryan Klesko, whose eighth-inning error helped the Padres score an insurance run.

“We’re in a tough position, and the only thing that’s going to help us now is to go out there and swing the bats and execute. We haven’t done that too much so far.”

The Padre pitching staff hasn’t helped.

San Diego lowered its earned-run average in the championship series to 0.96. The Padres’ ERA in seven postseason games is 1.42. The Braves are batting .200 (19 for 95) against the Padres.

“This isn’t what we expected,” Brave center fielder Andruw Jones said. “We know they have a good team because we play them, and we know they have good pitchers. But their pitchers are making it hard to get runs.”

Hitchcock caused problems Saturday. He gave up three hits and one run, striking out six and walking five.

Padre Manager Bruce Bochy removed Hitchcock after Galarraga walked to open the sixth, and the fans thanked Hitchcock with a thunderous standing ovation. And the crowd became more frenzied when Hitchcock pumped his left fist as he disappeared into the dugout.

He outperformed Maddux--the Braves’ four-time Cy Young Award winner--who gave up five hits and two runs in five innings.

“More than anything, what I’m doing just sums up our team in a nutshell,” said Hitchcock, who singled and scored in the fifth. “To beat Randy Johnson, and then to come back and beat Greg Maddux in the same week, that shows what this team is all about.

“We’re out there scrapping for runs, not taking anything for granted. That’s the approach we’ve taken all season.”

The Braves said their approach won’t change today.

“We have to keep doing the same things because that’s how we won so many games,” Galarraga said. “We just have to do what makes us a good team.”

And they have to do it quickly.