Paul bracket: 2009 St. Louis Cardinals defeat 1969 Atlanta Braves in five games

Atlanta scored just six runs in the five games, all but one of them in a dramatic series opener. Henry Aaron came to the plate 19 times without ever reaching base.

Game One: Braves 5, Cardinals 4: St. Louis led 3-0 three hitters into the game -- singles by Skip Schumacher and Mark DeRosa, homer by Albert Pujols -- but Phil Niekro shut down the Cardinals unitl the ninth, while Tony Gonzalez hit a pair of RBI doubles as the Braves tied the game at three. In the top of the ninth Brendan Ryan singled, stole second, advanced to third on a grounder to second and scored on a two-out wild pitch. In the bottom of the ninth Bob Didier singled and after a groundout, pinch-hitter Rico Carty hit a walk-off homer. 

Game Two: Cardinals 6, Braves 0: Chris Carpenter allowed two singles in seven innngs and hit a homer. Atlanta starter Ron Reed allowed two runs in six innings, but the Cardinals roughed up Milt Pappas for four runs in relief. Pujols hit a two-run triple and Rick Ankiel hit a two-run homer.

Game Three: Cardinals 1, Braves 0: Joel Pinerio and George Stone had an impressive pitchers duel. Pinerio allowed two hits in six innings, and Blake Hawksworth and Trever Miller combined for three innings, allowing one hit between them. Stone didn't allow a hit until the seventh inning and granted just two safeties in eight innings. Julio Lugo led off the bottom of the ninth against Jim Britton with a triple and ultimately scored on a bases loaded walk.to Ryan Ludwick.

Game Four: Cardinals 4, Braves 1: Another pitchers duel, with Kyle Lohse and Pat Jarvis putting up zeros for the first five innings. Atlanta scored its run in the top of the sixth, but Ankiel responded with a three-run homer in the bottom of the frame. John Smoltz, a Braves legend, worked the final three innings for the save, allowing no hits.

Game Five: Cardinals 3, Braves 0: St. Louis scored a pair in the first inning, which was enough for Adam Wainwright. Pujols had three hits and an RBI, Yadier Molina drove in a pair of runs and Ryan Franklin, who was victimized by Carty's homer in the opener, retired the Beeg Boy for the final out of the series.

Projected rotation: Wainwright-Carpenter-Pinerio-Lohse or Smoltz-(Wainwright)-(Carpenter)-(Pinerio). One of the Lohse/Smoltz duo should be left off the roster for the second round.