Braves, Diamondbacks face crucial games as playoffs continue

— -- JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Less than 24 hours ago, the Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks were considered favorites in their respective National League Division Series. Now both face crucial contests today as the playoffs continue. The Braves and Diamondbacks both lost home games on Tuesday. Atlanta fell, 6-1, to the Houston Astros and Arizona suffered an 8-4 setback to the New York Mets. Another loss would put either down two games in the best-of-five series with the next two on the road. In Cleveland tonight, the last of the four Division Series gets under way when the American League Central champion Indians host the wild card Boston Red Sox. The teams are meeting in the postseason for the third time in five years. On Tuesday, Orlando Hernandez allowed just two hits over eight innings and Bernie Williams homered and drove in six runs as the defending world champion New York Yankees took early control of their AL series with the Texas Rangers, 8-0. Perennial postseason failures -- they have won just one World Series this decade despite eight straight division titles -- the Braves start Kevin Millwood (18-7, 2.68 ERA) in today's 4 p.m. EDT start at Turner Field. A member of a starting rotation that includes three other Cy Young Award winners, the righthander has been Atlanta's best pitcher this season. "I don't have a Randy Johnson fastball or Randy Johnson slider or anything," said Millwood, who will be making his first career postseason appearance. "I just go out with what I've got and try to keep it out of the middle of the plate and get guys out." Like Millwood, the Braves find themselves in unchartered postseason territory. Tuesday's loss snapped a 10-game winning streak in Division Series play for Atlanta, which is 12-2 all-time in NLDS play. Its only other Division Series loss came in Game Two against Colorado in 1995. With a chance to take a commanding lead in the series, the Astros send fiery righthander Jose Lima (21-10, 3.58) to the mound. One of the most animated pitchers in the game, Lima finished second in the NL in wins, one victory behind teammate Mike Hampton. Johnson was racked for seven runs and eight hits in Arizona's loss to the Mets on Tuesday, leaving the second-year Diamondbacks down a game and without their ace until at least Saturday's Game Four, if necessary. "The team has never gotten too high on any win or too low on any loss all year," Johnson said. "I don't imagine that will be the case after (Tuesday's) game." Edgardo Alfonzo homered twice, including a two-out grand slam in the top of the ninth against Bobby Chouinard, for New York, which was forced to win a one-game playoff from Cincinnati on Monday night to earn the wild card. "It's kind of like a great feeling because we've been playing great the last couple of games," said Alfonzo. "And when we play together it's going to be fun to watch." The Mets, in their second straight 11 p.m. start at Bank One Ballpark, will pitch lefthander Kenny Rogers (5-1, 4.03). Rogers made three postseason starts for the Yankees during their 1996 world championship run. He did not last more than three innings in any of those games, but the Yankees won each. The Diamondbacks counter with righty Todd Stottlemyre (6-3, 4.09), who worked himself into the postseason rotation by pitching effectively in most of his eight starts after returning from a three-month stint on the disabled list due to a partially torn rotator cuff. In an 8 p.m. start at Jacobs Field, the Indians will have the daunting challenge of facing Boston's Pedro Martinez (23-4, 2.07), who won the American League's pitching triple crown, leading in wins, ERA and strikeouts, and is a lock to capture his second Cy Young award. The Indians turn to their ace, Bartolo Colon (18-5, 3.95), who was 0-2 in four starts against the Red Sox this season and makes his third start of the year against Martinez. Boston and Cleveland have gone a combined 132 seasons without capturing a world championship. The series between the Yankees and Rangers is on a one-day hiatus before resuming on Thursday night. Andy Pettitte, the winning pitcher in the decisive fourth game of last year's World Series, will oppose Rick Helling. Texas has lost seven straight postseason contests to New York dating to Game One of the 1996 ALDS.