Series moves to Harmony Grove, and Cliff Floyd puts Buda on top early with a first inning 2-out double, making Clemens pay for walking Arod. Jason Marquis then takes over, facing the minimum over 5 innings, allowing only one walk to Todd Helton in the fourth, but immediately picking him off first. Clemens nearly matches that, allowing just 2 walks and a single over his next 5 innings, with no runners getting to second base.
Harmony finally gets to Marquis in the 6th, with a lead off walk to Matsui, an Estrada sac, and two-out single by Lugo.
Iguchi led off the eighth with a single, Crisp flew out to center, Johnson doubled, but Iguchi had to hold to see if Matsui had a play, and he only managed third. ARod came up to jeers about his performance under pressure and calmly delivered a single up the middle, Johnson holding at third and chasing Clemens. Wagner came in and gave up a single to Floyd, hit Jones in frustration, drawing a warning to both benches, and got the next two hitters. Buda up 3-1.
Munter replaced Hammond (who came in in the 7th), and Thome got a ph single, followed by a Matsui single off Villone. Uribe came in to ph for Estrada, and Buda went to no longer closer Cordero. Uribe successfully sacrificed, but Cordero retired Burroughs and Lugo on short fly outs.
In the ninth, Helton and Ensberg made contact, but right at fielders, then Ortiz homered to make it 3-2. Duchscherer came in and gave up a single to Griffey and walked Freel, before Matsui hit a rocket right at Iguchi for the third out. Buda goes up 2-1, thanks to an incredible pitching performance by Marquis.
Game 4--Patterson vs. Smoltz
A rematch of game one, but neither pitcher was particularly solid the first time.
Buda jumps ahead early again with Johnson and Jones hitting doubles in the first inning, but Cliff Floyd, not nearly the runner he used to be, couldn't score from first, even with 2 out.
Patterson gets the first 6 batters before giving up a single to Dye to start the third, but Estrada then hits a double play grounder to Young, and Estrada gruesomely turns over his ankle trying to beat it out and has to go to the hospital for x-rays, which turn out negative, but the sprain is so severe, he's lost for the rest of the playoffs.
Blanco comes in to catch, and he and Smoltz get signals crossed, resulting in a towering homer by Jones. Buda follows that with a pair of singles and a walk around a Young K, and Travis goes to the bullpen early to remove the clearly uncomfortable Smoltz. Wagner gives up a sac fly to Crisp, but gets Johnson and ARod to minimize the damage.
Har comes back with 2 of its own in the bottom of the fourth on a Helton walk, Ensberg double, Ortiz rbi groundout, and Griffey rbi single. Har then ties the game in the 6th, as Patterson walked Helton before giving up back to back singles to Ensberg and Ortiz. Patterson then gives way to Hammond who gets Griffey to pop out with the go ahead run on third base and gets Freel to ground out to third.
Buda gets two walks off Speier in the 7th, but Floyd and Jones can't get them home, and Har goes 1-2-3 in its half against Duchscherer. Speier strikes out Mauer to start the 8th, but Young walks, and Eduardo Perez comes in as a ph for Morneau against Cotts. In comes Mariano Rivera, but Perez manages a walk and Iguchi singles to load the bases. Crisp hits one just deep enough to score Young before Johnson flies out to end the inning. Buda 4-3.
Duchscherer gets another 1-2-3 inning, but Buda can't add to the lead in the ninth, despite singles by Floyd and Mauer. Buda puts in Kapler in right and Betemit at short. Duchscherer strikes out Ortiz but walks Griffey and tires. Coco comes in, relishing being in a closer situation, and Har pinch runs Terrero and pinch hits Thome, who hits a double play grounder to ARod, but it rolls up his arm, putting runners at first and second. Sean Burroughs comes in to bat, and he hits a grounder to Betemit, that he flings wide of second, pulling Iguchi off the bag. Bases loaded with one out and Godzilla comes in to pinch hit. A conference is taken on the mound with deeply apologetic infielders, a very rattled manager, but a remarkably calm Coco. The infield comes in. Godzilla hits a scorching one-hop grounder to Betemit, who takes it cleanly, fires to Mauer for the out at home, and Mauer steps up away from the sliding Terrero and guns to first for the 6-2-3 game ending DP. Buda now up 3 games to 1, but this is against the team it led 3 games to 2 and 4-0 in the fifth inning of game 6 before collapsing last year.
Game 5--Garcia vs. Zito
Kenny Lofton comes back, hoping to spark the Toppers, who also go to lefty Barry Zito to try to stay alive.
It works. Zito throws 5 innings of 1 hit, shutout ball, and Lofton goes 4-5 with 2 rbi and scoring the winning run.
Freddy pitched out of trouble in the first, stranding 2, but back to back singles by Belliard and Blanco out of the 8-9 spots, followed by a Lofton double gave Har a 2-0 lead in the second.
Zito cruises through 5, allowing no one to reach second, but he gets inexplicably pulled after walking Arod with 2 out in the sixth. Johnson greets Speier with a single, ending his day, but Cotts retires Jones to end the threat.
Har strands 2 in the 3rd, 5th, and 6th, as Freddy seems to be short of stuff, but both bullpens are largely depleted.
Cotts gets Floyd to fly out to start the 7th, but Olivo hits one into the left field bleachers, bringing on Mariano Rivera. Rivera has another tough outing, striking out Mauer, but allowing a double to Crisp, a walk to Iguchi and a single to Michael Young, who was then hitting .111 for the series. Tie game.
The runs made Freddy get stronger, and he retires Har in the 7th and 8th without worry; however, Randy Wolf comes in and retires 6 straight Pests in a surprise relief appearance.
In the bottom of the ninth, Freddy strikes out Pratt, but Lofton gets his fourth hit and steals second. Thomes comes on to ph, Villone comes in or Freddy, and Thome goes back to the bench for Uribe. Uribe lines out, bringing up Helton in a lefty-lefty match up. Helton singles, Lofton beats the throw home, and Har stays alive.
Series goes back to Buda, Buda up 3-2 and Clemens ready for revenge against Marquis.
