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Atlanta 8, Arizona 1

PHOENIX, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Javier Lopez, making his first start of the playoffs, put Atlanta in front with a two-out, two-run homer off the right-field foul pole in the seventh inning Wednesday night and the Braves then staged a two-out explosion in the eighth to storm past Arizona, 8-1, and even their National League Championship Series at a game each.

A pitcher's duel between Atlanta's Tom Glavine and Arizona's Miguel Batista disintegrated in favor of the Braves, who gained home-field advantage in the best-of-seven series. The action will resume Saturday night at Turner Field.

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Batista retired the first two Atlanta batters in the seventh inning of what was a 1-1 game.

But he walked then Andruw Jones on four pitches, just the second baserunner Atlanta had managed since the first inning, and Lopez lined a shot off the foul pole to put the Braves in front. Lopez sat out Atlanta's division series sweep of Houston following a foot injury suffered during the final week of the regular season.

Mike Morgan came on to start the eighth for Arizona and he, like Batista, retired the first two batters of the inning.

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But Julio Franco singled, Chipper Jones walked and both scored on a double by Brian Jordan. Greg Swindell was summoned to relieve Morgan and he promptly gave up a two-run homer to right by B.J. Surhoff that made it 7-1.

Bobby Witt was next to the mound and he surrendered consecutive singles to Andruw Jones, Lopez and Rey Sanchez to account for the final run of the game.

Glavine stayed around long enough to get the win, giving up five hits over seven innings with two walks and two strikeouts. Paul Bako worked a perfect eighth and John Smoltz did the same in the ninth.

Arizona's lone run also came in a two-out rally. Reggie Sanders walked after two were away in the sixth, went to third on a single by Steve Finley and scored on a sharp single up the middle by Matt Williams.

Atlanta went nine innings in the opening game of the series without a run, but needed only one pitch to produce one Wednesday night. Marcus Giles led off the game by blasting Batista's first offering into the left-field seats.

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Batista took the loss despite giving up just two hits -- the homers by Giles and Lopez. The Arizona starter retired 18 out of 19 batters before Andruw Jones walked in the seventh. The only Brave to reach base in that stretch was Sanchez, who got aboard on a fielding error by Williams at third base in the fifth.

Curt Schilling will pitch for the Diamondbacks in Game 3 Saturday night while the Braves will go with John Burkett.

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