Starting Lineups
Atlanta - Houston
Rafael Furcal SS - Craig Biggio 2B
Marcus Giles 2B - Willy Taveras CF
Chipper Jones 3B - Lance Berkman LF
Andruw Jones CF - Morgan Ensberg 3B
Adam LaRoche 1B - Mike Lamb 1B
Jeff Francoeur RF - Jason Lane RF
Ryan Langerhans LF - Adam Everett SS
Brian McCann C - Brad Ausmus C
Tim Hudson P - Brandon Backe P
Game Preview
Astros try to oust Braves for second straight year
Atlanta at Houston 1:00 pm EDT National League Championship Series Astros lead, 2-1
HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Fourteen straight division titles have led to just one World Series crown for the Atlanta Braves . They hope to avoid falling into that trap again.
Atlanta tries to keep its season alive Sunday when it meets the Houston Astros in Game Four of the National League Championship Series.
After the Astros were eliminated from the playoffs by the Braves in 1997, 1999 and 2001, Houston looks to return the favor for the second consecutive year and advance to a rematch with St. Louis in the NL Championship Series.
Craig Biggio , who is 6-for-12 in the series, had three doubles and Mike Lamb belted his first career playoff home run Saturday as the Astros posted a 7-3 triumph over the Braves.
"We've needed everybody all year on this team," Lamb said. "Last year, we pretty much relied on one-through-five (hitters). This year, this team doesn't do that. One- through-nine, we take the bull by the horns. Everybody in the clubhouse can play this game."
Morgan Ensberg delivered a pair of RBI doubles and Roy Oswalt pitched effectively into the eighth for Houston, retiring 17 of the last 21 batters he faced.
The Astros hope to close out the series behind Brandon Backe (10-8, 4.76 ERA), who is 10-3 at home this season. He was the winning pitcher when Houston clinched the wild card spot last year and went 1-0 in three playoff starts.
"It's pretty simple," Backe said. "I just need to be aggressive and throw strikes."
Fighting to keep its season going, Atlanta turns to Tim Hudson (14-9, 3.52), who took the loss in Game One after allowing five runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He will work on three days rest.
"I'm excited to get the ball again and make the necessary changes to send the series back to Atlanta," Hudson said. "Every time you have an outing like the last one, you want to get out there and pitch. (Sunday) is the most important game of the year for us. It's exciting to have our backs against the wall."
"Tim (has) got some good stuff," Biggio said. "He'll be fired up. What's in the past doesn't mean anything. Both clubs have a lot of respect for each other."
Atlanta's bullpen surrendered four runs in the seventh inning and the top three Braves' hitters - Rafael Furcal , Marcus Giles and Chipper Jones , combined to go 1-for-14 on Saturday.
If a fifth game is necessary, it will be played Monday in Atlanta. The opening game of the NLCS is scheduled for Wednesday in St. Louis.
Atlanta - Houston
Rafael Furcal SS - Craig Biggio 2B
Marcus Giles 2B - Willy Taveras CF
Chipper Jones 3B - Lance Berkman LF
Andruw Jones CF - Morgan Ensberg 3B
Adam LaRoche 1B - Mike Lamb 1B
Jeff Francoeur RF - Jason Lane RF
Ryan Langerhans LF - Adam Everett SS
Brian McCann C - Brad Ausmus C
Tim Hudson P - Brandon Backe P
Game Preview
Astros try to oust Braves for second straight year
Atlanta at Houston 1:00 pm EDT National League Championship Series Astros lead, 2-1
HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Fourteen straight division titles have led to just one World Series crown for the Atlanta Braves . They hope to avoid falling into that trap again.
Atlanta tries to keep its season alive Sunday when it meets the Houston Astros in Game Four of the National League Championship Series.
After the Astros were eliminated from the playoffs by the Braves in 1997, 1999 and 2001, Houston looks to return the favor for the second consecutive year and advance to a rematch with St. Louis in the NL Championship Series.
Craig Biggio , who is 6-for-12 in the series, had three doubles and Mike Lamb belted his first career playoff home run Saturday as the Astros posted a 7-3 triumph over the Braves.
"We've needed everybody all year on this team," Lamb said. "Last year, we pretty much relied on one-through-five (hitters). This year, this team doesn't do that. One- through-nine, we take the bull by the horns. Everybody in the clubhouse can play this game."
Morgan Ensberg delivered a pair of RBI doubles and Roy Oswalt pitched effectively into the eighth for Houston, retiring 17 of the last 21 batters he faced.
The Astros hope to close out the series behind Brandon Backe (10-8, 4.76 ERA), who is 10-3 at home this season. He was the winning pitcher when Houston clinched the wild card spot last year and went 1-0 in three playoff starts.
"It's pretty simple," Backe said. "I just need to be aggressive and throw strikes."
Fighting to keep its season going, Atlanta turns to Tim Hudson (14-9, 3.52), who took the loss in Game One after allowing five runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He will work on three days rest.
"I'm excited to get the ball again and make the necessary changes to send the series back to Atlanta," Hudson said. "Every time you have an outing like the last one, you want to get out there and pitch. (Sunday) is the most important game of the year for us. It's exciting to have our backs against the wall."
"Tim (has) got some good stuff," Biggio said. "He'll be fired up. What's in the past doesn't mean anything. Both clubs have a lot of respect for each other."
Atlanta's bullpen surrendered four runs in the seventh inning and the top three Braves' hitters - Rafael Furcal , Marcus Giles and Chipper Jones , combined to go 1-for-14 on Saturday.
If a fifth game is necessary, it will be played Monday in Atlanta. The opening game of the NLCS is scheduled for Wednesday in St. Louis.
