Giants eliminate Braves in NLDS, sending Bobby Cox into retirement

Reporting from Atlanta

The San Francisco Giants celebrated their passage to the National League Championship Series on the same field they celebrated their last.

But the team that popped champagne corks at Turner Field on Monday night in the aftermath of a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Game 4 of the National League division series looked nothing like the team that did so here eight years ago.

This Giants team doesn’t score many runs. They’re built on pitching. And, perhaps most notably, they don’t have Barry Bonds.

In what was the final game of Braves Manager Bobby Cox’s 29-year managerial career, the hero for the Giants was scrappy Cody Ross, who was acquired from the Florida Marlins off waivers in August.

Ross drove in two runs, including the deciding one, to set the stage for a meeting against the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Championship Series. Game 1 will be in Philadelphia on Saturday.

The Giants had other players on the field who were like Ross. There was left fielder Pat Burrell, who was cut by the Tampa Bay Rays in May. There was third baseman Mike Fontenot, who was acquired in a trade for a marginal minor leaguer.

The Giants fell behind 1-0 in the third inning, when Omar Infante scored on a sacrifice fly by Brian McCann.

Derek Lowe, the Braves’ Game 1 starter who volunteered to pitch on short rest, was nearly perfect through five innings. The only Giant to reach base, Andres Torres, did so on an error and was thrown out trying to steal second.

The Giants finally got to Lowe in the sixth, when Ross hit a solo home run with one out to tie the score, 1-1.

McCann was quick to respond, taking Giants 21-year-old rookie starter Madison Bumgarner deep over the right-field wall to reclaim the lead for the Braves at 2-1.

Then Lowe ran out of gas.

Upon walking Aubrey Huff and giving up a hit to Buster Posey in the seventh inning, Lowe was visited on the mound by Cox. Lowe remained in the game after a brief conversation with Cox, but walked Pat Burrell to load the bases with one out.

Cox returned to the mound, this time to take the ball from Lowe’s hand and place it in the hands of reliever Peter Moylan.

Moylan forced Juan Uribe to hit a grounder to short, but Uribe’s throw to second base was high. The score was tied again, 2-2. All runners were safe.

A single by Ross put the Giants back on top, 3-2.

But Matt Diaz saved a run on that play, throwing out Burrell at the plate to prevent the Giants from taking a 4-2 lead.

When the game ended, the fans at Turner Field chanted, “Bob-by! Bob-by!” Cox exited the dugout and tipped his cap to the fans, who gave him a standing ovation. The Giants stood on the other side of the diamond and applauded.