LDS: Reds eliminate Braves in 4

GAME 1 - Crosley Field
Reds 8, Braves 3
Lew Burdette vs Tom Seaver
Tom Terrific was merely just good, but with the Redlegs posting an 8 spot he didn't need to be terrific. Seaver had a 6-0 shutout going until the top of the 6th when Eddie Mathews hit a two run shot and Joe Adcock had a solo blast.  The Reds struck back with 2 more in the bottom of the frame to end all hopes for the Braves.  Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson and Johnny Bench all went deep.  Cincy featured a balanced 10 hit attack where every regular had a safety except Joe Morgan.

GAME 2 - Crosley Field
Braves 10, Reds 3
Tom Glavine vs Jim Maloney
Atlanta struck back with a vengeance after going down 3-1.  A 4 run 6th and a 3 run 8th blew the doors off the Reds wagon to even the series.  Cy Young candidate, Jim Maloney, was rocked for 7 runs on 11 hits over 7 innings.  Reliever Norm Charlton was not much better giving up 3 runs in 2 putrid innings worth of work.  Rico Carty's 4 for 5 day paced the Brave offense.  Dale Murphy's 3 for 5 day with 2 RBI's in the lead off spot fueled the engine.  Tommy Glavine went 8 2/3 allowing just 3 runs before giving way to Don McMahon to get the final out.  Hank Aaron made 2 uncharacteristic errors, which did not play into the decision.  Aaron, Mathews, Murphy and Blauser all hit homers as the Braves evened up the series.

GAME 3 - Fulton County Stadium
Reds 8, Braves 5
Jose Rijo vs Warren Spahn
Heading into the top of the 8th the Reds were barely protecting a tenuous 1 run lead.  Jeff Blauser's 6th error of the season allowed Ken Griffey to score with the bases loaded.  Spahn drew on all of his veteran guile to stop the bleeding, but the Reds were now up by 2 runs.  Johnny Temple's solo shot in the 9th made it a 3 run lead and Frank Robinson's sac fly put the Reds up by 4.  Atlanta eeked out a run on a Blauser ground out in the bottom of the inning, but they could not erase Cincy's big lead.

GAME 4 - Fulton County Stadium
Reds 8, Braves 5
Gary Nolan vs Phil Niekro
Staving off elimination fueled the Braves to knock Gary Nolan around for 3 runs in the bottom of the 2nd.  Knowing that the Big Red Machine could strike at anytime, Nolan did not fold up his tent.  That machine began to heat up when Joe Morgan hit a solo shot in the 4th to cut the deficit to 2.  Johnny Bench's 2 run shot in the 5th evened the game up.  Felipe Alou's RBI double in the bottom of the 5th helped the Braves temporarily regain their lead, but the Reds were locked in and went on a 5 run tear over the final 4 innings to close out the game and the series.  Long reliever Mario Soto blew the lead, but got the win.  Franco and Dibble shared duties closing out the 9th, with "Dibbs" getting the save.  Don McMahon took the loss as the loss as the Reds punched their ticket to the NLCS vs Chicago.