Braves win on Furcal's homer

Atlanta and the Astros are tied 1-1 in the series, which shifts to Houston.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Rafael Furcal can escape his troubles when he's at the ball park.
It's the one place where he doesn't think about what awaits him at the end of the postseason.
"I forget everything except the field, put a lot of concentration on the game," the Atlanta Braves shortstop said. "Then, after the game, when I go to my house, I think of all my problems."
Set to report to jail when Atlanta's season ends, Furcal is trying to keep it going as long as possible. He hit a two-out, two-run homer in the 11th inning that gave the Braves a 4-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Thursday, evening their NL playoff series at one game apiece.
"It was awesome," teammate Adam LaRoche said. "For as much pressure as has been put on him, knowing what's going to happen to him after we're done. I don't know how he's able to do it."
Gets jail sentence
Furcal was in court just hours before Game 1, being sentenced to 21 days in jail for violating probation with his second drunken-driving arrest in four years.
His sentence was put off until the day after the Braves' season ends. Furcal, who had three hits and three RBIs, ensured that it won't finish with Saturday's Game 3 in Houston.
The Astros were on the verge of a commanding lead in the series when manager Phil Garner went to closer Brad Lidge in the seventh. During his longest outing of the season, he gave up the tying run to force extra innings.
"I'm just upset at myself for not getting the job done," said Lidge, who went 22/3 innings. "You can't think about how long you're going to be out there."
Both teams went to extraordinary means -- the Astros looking to go two-up in the best-of-5 series, the Braves realizing they needed a split before playing twice at Minute Maid Park, where Houston has won 18 straight games.
First post-season homer
Braves rookie Charles Thomas singled with one out in the 11th off Dan Miceli and stole second. Pinch-hitter Eli Marrero popped out to the catcher, but Furcal golfed a 1-2 splitter deep into the right-field seats, flipping his bat in the air about halfway down the line to celebrate his first post-season homer.
The Astros, who have never won a postseason series, were ahead 2-0 going to the seventh with 20-game winner Roy Oswalt on the mound.
But Atlanta fought back, managing to overcome some shaky baserunning -- two were thrown out at the plate -- and plenty of other wasted chances before Furcal came through.
The Braves outhit the Astros 14-4, holding Houston without a hit for the final 51/3 innings.
Smoltz gets hit
The Braves used closer John Smoltz for three innings, his longest stint since September 2001. To keep him in the game, they let Smoltz bat in the bottom of the ninth, and he came through with his first hit since 1999.
Smoltz was already in the clubhouse when Furcal ended it with only the second walk-off homer in Braves' postseason history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
HOUSTONATLANTA
abrhbiabrhbi
Biggio lf3000Furcal ss5133
Lane lf1000MGiles 2b5010
CBeltrn cf5000JDrew rf5010
Bgwell 1b5111CJones 3b4100
Brkmn rf5010JEstda c3010
JKent 2b4000Btemit pr0000
Ensbrg 3b2000JuFrco 1b1000
JVzcno ss3000Lroche 1b4031
Lidge p0000NGreen pr0000
OPlmro ph0000EddPrz c1000
Asmus c0000AJones cf5010
RChavz c3121Thmas lf5110
Lamb ph1000Hmptn p2010
DMiceli p0000Grybsk p0000
Oswalt p1000DWise ph1110
Brntlett ss1000Smoltz p1010
Alfnsca p0000
Mrrero ph1000
Totals34242Totals434144
Houston10100000000--2
Atlanta00000011002--4
Two outs when winning run scored.
E--RChavez (1). DP--Atlanta 1. LOB--Houston 5, Atlanta 10. 2B--Laroche (1), DWise (1). HR--Bagwell (1), RChavez (1), Furcal (1). SB--Furcal (1), Thomas (1). CS--Berkman (1), JDrew (1). S--OPalmeiro, Furcal.
IPHRERBBSO
Houston
Oswalt6 1-381114
Lidge2 2-341113
DMiceli L,0-11 2-322201
Atlanta
Hampton6 1-342235
Gryboski2-300000
Smoltz300023
Alfonseca W,1-0100000
Umpires--Home, Phil Cuzzi; First, Wally Bell; Second, Fieldin Culbreth; Third, Joe Brinkman; Left, Tony Randazzo; Right, Tim McClelland. T--3:27. A--40,075.