San Francisco, CA (My Sportsbook) - The Atlanta Braves attempt to open a two- games-to-one advantage in their best-of-five National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants this afternoon, when the two teams square off at Pacific Bell Park.

Greg Maddux takes the ball today for the NL East champs. Maddux was originally slated to start Game 2, but a blister on the index finger of his pitching hand prompted Braves manager Bobby Cox to use Kevin Millwood and push Maddux back a few days.

The veteran righthander did not earn a decision in his only NLDS start a year ago after surrendering three runs -- two earned -- on four hits in six innings against the Houston Astros in Game 1. He entered the playoffs last year having dropped his final four decisions.

This season, the four-time Cy Young Award winner enters the postseason with a 5-1 mark and a 2.30 ERA in his last seven outings. The biggest difference from this October to last is Maddux's overall well being. In 2001, the 36-year-old hurler hyperextended his elbow and was clearly out of sync as the Braves began the Division Series in Houston.

Now, Maddux is healthy and preparing to face a Giants team that he is 23-13 against in his career. In two starts versus San Francisco this season, he was 1-1 with a minuscule 1.93 earned run average.

For all of his accolades, Maddux has endured his share of ups and downs in October. The future Hall of Famer is 10-13 with a 3.24 ERA in 29 appearances during the postseason, including 4-2 with a 3.17 earned run average in the NL Division Series.

Jason Schmidt counters for Dusty Baker's squad. Schmidt, who broke into the majors in 1995 with the Braves, last toed the slate on September 27, when he defeated the Astros with 7 1/3 innings of four-hit, one-run ball. He walked a pair and struck out eight, while yielding one home run.

The victory was the righthander's second in a row and third in four decisions. After going 4-3 with a 3.75 earned run average in the first half of the year, Schmidt was 9-5 with a 3.20 ERA and one complete game following the All-Star break. The 29-year-old hurler pitched well at home this season, compiling an 8-5 record with a strong 2.37 earned run average and two complete games.

Lifetime, Schmidt is 3-5 versus Atlanta, which drafted him in the eighth round of the 1991 selection process. He faced the Braves twice this season and ended 0-1 with a 2.63 ERA.

This will be Schmidt's first career postseason appearance.

After dropping the opener of this set by an 8-5 score, Atlanta bounced back to notch a 7-3 victory on Thursday. Millwood pitched six solid frames, while Javy Lopez and Vinny Castilla belted back-to-back homers in the second inning, as the Braves used a pair of three-run innings to race out to an early lead.

Lopez, who also homered in Game 1, finished 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored in the winning effort. Mark DeRosa also had a solid game with a double, triple and two runs batted. Atlanta's 6-7-8 hitters -- Lopez, Castilla and DeRosa -- had five of the team's eight hits and scored six of the Braves' seven runs.

"It's just a great time for those guys to kick it in," stated Braves manager Bobby Cox. "When you get into a five-game series, you need for anybody to get hot, especially the guys toward the bottom."

Millwood, meanwhile, surrendered just three hits, including a pair of solo homers, and did not walk a batter while striking out seven in earning his 13th victory in 16 decisions.

"I thought he was extra good tonight," gushed Cox. "He hasn't thrown 95-96 [mph] maybe, ever, and he did tonight."

The righthander left the game after six innings, despite throwing only 72 pitches. It appeared as if he injured himself in the sixth while covering first base, but the pitcher said he was not seriously hurt. Mike Remlinger, Darren Holmes and John Smoltz combined for three innings of four-hit, one-run ball to preserve the win.

Barry Bonds homered for the Giants, who were attempting to win the first two games of a postseason series for the first time since sweeping the Cleveland Indians in the 1954 World Series. J.T. Snow and Rich Aurilia also homered for San Francisco, which had a nine-game win streak, including the regular season, snapped.

Bonds, who has struggled in past playoff appearances, belted a Smoltz offering into the right-field seats in the ninth inning for his second career homer in the postseason. He is 2-for-8 in this series and is batting .200 (21-for-105) with two homers and seven RBI for his career in the playoffs.

Kirk Rueter lasted only three-plus innings in the loss, permitting seven runs -- six earned -- on seven hits with two walks and one strikeout.

"Kirk got some balls up," explained Baker. "His ball was not sinking as much as usual."

San Francisco was 50-31 during the regular season at Pac Bell Park, while the Braves were a National League-best 49-31 on the road. These teams split six regular-season meetings, with each winning twice in San Francisco.