Cubs snap postseason losing skid

Chicago beat Atlanta, 4-2, for its first playoff win on the road since 1945.
ATLANTA (AP) -- On the first day of spring training, Dusty Baker told his new team to forget the past.
In Game 1 of the National League division series, the often-hapless Chicago Cubs were focused firmly on the future.
That road losing streak in the playoffs? It's history. Led by Kerry Wood, Chicago beat the Atlanta Braves 4-2 Tuesday night for its first postseason victory outside of Wrigley Field since 1945.
"It's good to get that out of the way," said Baker, the Cubs' first-season manager. "That's a big, big, big game in a five-game series."
Wood delivers
Wood did it all. He limited the NL's best offensive team to two hits in 71/3 innings, and drove in the go-ahead runs with a double off 21-game winner Russ Ortiz in the sixth.
"He wanted this badly," Baker said. "A good pitcher turned into a great pitcher."
The Cubs were cheered on by thousands of their well-traveled fans, who transformed Turner Field into Wrigley Field South. The roar was enormous when Wood drove in two runs with a drive to the wall in left-center, breaking a 1-all tie.
"I've never seen anything like this," Chicago first baseman Eric Karros said. "At some points, it seemed like the Cubs fans were louder than the Braves fans."
Throttles Braves
Wood gave them plenty to cheer about. He struck out 11 and completely throttled the high-scoring Braves, a team that had six players with 20 homers and four with 100 RBIs during the regular season. The only major slip-up came in the third, when Marcus Giles homered.
"To give up two hits in 71/3 innings to that team and also drive in the winning run, I'd say he was pretty locked in for this game," said Joe Borowski, who struck out the side in the ninth for the save.
Trailing 4-1, Atlanta scored a run and knocked out Wood without getting a hit. A questionable call at first on a potential inning-ending double play allowed the run to score.
But Kyle Farnsworth retired Javy Lopez on a bases-loaded grounder to short to end the threat.
"You can look at it like the glass is half-empty or half-full," said Braves closer John Smoltz, who didn't get a chance to perform his familiar task. "We've won three out of four before."
Losing streak
The Cubs had lost eight straight postseason road games since Claude Passeau pitched a one-hitter to beat Detroit in Game 3 of 1945 World Series.
Of course, Chicago lost that World Series. They've lost 10 straight postseason series since winning their last Series title in 1908.
Maybe this time will be different. Baker knows something about beating the Braves, having guided the San Francisco Giants to a first-round victory over Atlanta on the way to the World Series a year ago.
His new team goes to Game 2 on Wednesday night with a chance to take command of the best-of-five series. At worst, the Cubs will head back to Chicago with a split -- and the next two games before their adoring Wrigley rowdies.
CHICAGOATLANTA
abrhbiabrhbi
Lofton cf5021Furcal ss5000
Grdzln 2b4000MGiles 2b2111
SSosa rf3010JGarca 2b0000
Alou lf5120DeRosa 2b0000
ARmrz 3b2110Shffield rf3000
Karros 1b4120CJones lf4001
ASGzlz ss2000AJones cf3000
Simon ph1000JvLopz c4010
REMtiz ss1000Fick 1b3000
Bako c3001Castilla 3b3010
Wood p4122RuOrtiz p2000
Rmlngr p0000King p0000
Frnswr p0000Grybsk p0000
Brwski p0000JSWrht p0000
Merckr p0000
MFrco ph1100
RHrndz p0000
JuFrco ph1000
Totals344104Totals31232
Chicago000004000--4
Atlanta001000010--2
E--MGiles (1). DP--Atlanta 3. LOB--Chicago 9, Atlanta 8. 2B--Wood (1). HR--MGiles (1). SB--Lofton (1), SSosa (1).
IPHRERBBSO
Chicago
Wood W,1-07 1-3222511
Remlinger1-300000
Farnsworth1-300010
Borowski S,1110003
Atlanta
RuOrtiz L,0-15 2-384437
King010000
Gryboski1-300000
JSWright100023
Mercker100011
RHernandez110000
King pitched to 1 batter in the 6th. WP--Wood. Umpires--Home, Bruce Froemming; First, Hunter Wendelstedt; Second, Dale Scott; Third, Gary Cederstrom; Left, Jeff Kellogg; Right, Phil Cuzzi. T--3:21. A--52,043.
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