Hunsicker Chastisesa Touchy Dierker

Houston General Manager Gerry Hunsicker met with Manager Larry Dierker to reprimand Dierker for his terse and combative answers during a news conference after the Astros lost the first game of the series with the Atlanta Braves.

“We all have a responsibility to act professionally and to represent the organization as such,” Hunsicker said Thursday.

Dierker, who snapped at questioners asking about his strategy, said he was upset about losing a lead in the late innings and about having to explain moves he said were similar to ones he had made most of the season to reporters who had not seen his team play all year.

“But I also know it’s my job to tell them, and I didn’t do a very good job,” Dierker said.

Dierker said he planned to have dinner Thursday with Astro owner Drayton McLane and said he was “not really” concerned about what McLane might say. McLane told the Houston Chronicle he was “somewhat disappointed” in Dierker’s behavior.

“We have to accept our leadership responsibility,” McLane said. “We’re responsible for everything. We make the decisions, and we have to shoulder the blame when things go wrong.”

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The Astros, trailing the series two games to none, must win three consecutive games or lose another division series.

“Nobody expects us to come back now,” Houston first baseman Jeff Bagwell said.

The Astros have faint rays of hope--they have their top three starters lined up and, as the series shifts to Atlanta, they have the best road record in the National League and the Braves have a losing record at home--but the Astros are realistic too. If they lose today--or Saturday or Sunday--they will have won four NL Central titles in five years under Dierker without ever appearing in the league championship series.

“I think we all feel a sense of urgency because you don’t know how many chances you’re going to get,” Dierker said.

“At times, it’s like, how does this keep happening? We haven’t even gotten to a Game 5,” Bagwell said.

Said second baseman Craig Biggio: “You’d like to think that somebody upstairs likes us. We’re not bad people. We live right.”

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The Braves won 88 games, the fewest of any playoff team and the fewest in any full season during their run of 10 consecutive division championships. Along the way, the Braves changed first basemen (Rico Brogna retired), second basemen (Quilvio Veras released), shortstop (Rafael Furcal injured) and added six relievers. The 25-man playoff roster includes 11 players not on the opening-day roster.

Little wonder, then, that the architect of the club has little patience for Atlanta fans who considered this season a disappointing one.

“To make that number of changes on the run and still be able to win our division for the 10th consecutive time, I think it’s a remarkable accomplishment,” General Manager John Schuerholz said. “I don’t think it’s a disappointment at all.”

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Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox did not attend Thursday’s workout to remain with his sister, Joy Rogers, who is hospitalized in Birmingham, Ala., after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage Wednesday. The Braves did not know whether Cox would return to the team today.

“If I know Bobby, he’s probably going to be here,” outfielder Brian Jordan said. “I think his No. 1 priority is to be with his family. If anything, it’s going to motivate us more to go out and win and give him a couple more days to spend with his sister. We’re all just praying that everything goes well and works out.”

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Shortstop Julio Lugo, who is 0 for 7 with three errors in the series, will not start today. Jose Vizcaino will, a move Dierker said he made because of Vizcaino’s .396 career average against Atlanta starter John Burkett.

TODAY

BRAVES’

JOHN BURKETT

(12-12, 3.04 ERA)

vs.

ASTROS’

SHANE REYNOLDS

(14-11, 4.34 ERA)

Turner Field, 1:15 p.m.

TV--Channel 11.

Radio--KSPN (1110).

Update--Reynolds, the only Houston starter with a postseason victory, is 5-1 with a 2.85 earned-run average since Aug. 1. Outfielder Moises Alou, first baseman Jeff Bagwell and shortstop Jose Vizcaino all hit better than .300 off Burkett, whose ERA trailed only Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling among major league starters.