Braves 4, Astros 2, 11 innings

ATLANTA (AP) — Rafael Furcal can escape his troubles when he's at the ballpark.

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.”

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 2 2-3 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-five series, the Braves realizing they needed a split before playing twice at Minute Maid Park, where Houston has won 18 straight games.

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 postseason homer.

The Astros, who have never won a postseason series, routed the Braves 9-3 in Game 1 and were ahead 2-0 going to the seventh with 20-game winner Roy Oswalt on the mound.

But NL East champion 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 5 1-3 innings.

Realizing the importance of the game, 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.

”This is huge. It changes everyone's mind-set,” Smoltz said. ”I was screaming as much as I've ever screamed.”

Lidge came in after Furcal's run-scoring single off Oswalt in the seventh but couldn't hold a 2-1 lead. LaRoche came through with an RBI double in the eighth.

The Astros claimed the wild card by winning 36 of their last 46 games. Garner, who took over at the All-Star break when Jimy Williams was fired, stuck with the win-at-all-costs philosophy.

”We've been doing that for two months,” he said. ”Every game has been just as important as this game.”

Antonio Alfonseca, the last of four Atlanta pitchers, got the win with a perfect 11th.

The Braves played the game under protest, contending that Garner feigned a problem with the phone line to the bullpen to give Lidge more time to warm up in the seventh.

No need for a ruling now.

Houston built a 2-0 lead when Jeff Bagwell homered in the first and Raul Chavez went deep in the third off Mike Hampton.

It was Bagwell's first postseason homer, while Chavez had only two career homers, the last coming on April 15, 2003.

The Astros' offense disappeared after that. Trying to hang on, Garner summoned his closer in the seventh.

Lidge, who set a major league record for relievers with 157 strikeouts in 94 2-3 innings, got a reprieve when Furcal was thrown out trying to score from third after a pitch skipped in the dirt. Chavez retrieved the ball about 15 feet away and threw from his knees to Lidge, who made the tag.

The Braves tied it in the eighth with three hits off Lidge, who was fortunate to escape with only one run scoring on LaRoche's double. Pinch-runner Wilson Betemit was easily thrown out at home when he broke on a one-hopper to third baseman Morgan Ensberg.

Hampton left in the seventh because of tightness in his left forearm. The injury wasn't serious, but he's not expected to start again in the series anyway.