ATLANTA - John Smoltz slipped out of the Braves' clubhouse through a side door, hoping to avoid reporters camped out by his locker. He knew what was coming and, frankly, he was a little tired of talking about it.
Smoltz walked all the way to the parking lot before finally stopping by his car to chat.
"Everybody's putting me in a coffin," Smoltz said. "All I've got is a stiff shoulder. It's not that big a deal."
The Braves made it official Tuesday, announcing that Smoltz will pitch Game 2 of the NL division series against the Houston Astros instead of the opener. Tim Hudson will go in Game 1 today against Andy Pettitte.
"John is not 100 percent. But if he's 95 percent, that's good enough," manager Bobby Cox said. "He is feeling good. He's thrown a lot in between this time (since his last start). He doesn't really ache or anything like that. It's just a matter of locating his fastball a little bit better."
Still, it was big news when the Braves passed over Smoltz for Game 1. After all, he's the winningest pitcher in postseason history with a 14-4 record.
But the wear-and-tear of pitching a team-high 2292/3 innings apparently got to Smoltz. He sat out the last nine days of the regular season to rest.
Hudson (14-9) was a pretty good backup choice, having pitched in four division series for Oakland. "I'm not exactly chopped liver," he said."
Meantime, Houston's rotation is so strong that Roy Oswalt (20-12, 2.94) won't go until Saturday, when the series shifts to Texas, despite his second straight 20-win season.
