ATLANTA (AP) – John Smoltz blew the save and got the win – good enough to keep the Atlanta Braves from the brink of another postseason meltdown.

Smoltz, making a rare two-inning appearance in a game the Braves had to have, allowed the tying run before Mark DeRosa’s two-run double in the eighth pushed Atlanta past the Chicago Cubs 5-3 Wednesday night.

The Braves evened the best-of-five NL division series at one game apiece. Game 3 is Friday night at Wrigley Field, with Greg Maddux starting for the Braves against Mark Prior.

Atlanta’s vaunted lineup was overshadowed by a guy who doesn’t usually play much. DeRosa was starting at second base in place of Marcus Giles, who had a deep bruise on his left leg.

As an added bonus, Giles appeared as a pinch-hitter in the sixth and came through with a run-scoring single that put the Braves ahead 3-2.

Anxious to protect the lead, Braves manager Bobby Cox called on Smoltz in the eighth – even though he missed nearly a month at the end of the season with a sore elbow.

Smoltz had worked two innings only three times all season, the last on July 23.

The Cubs weren’t intimidated by Smoltz, who has 100 saves in a two-year span. Eric Karros singled, went to third on Aramis Ramirez’s hit and scored the tying run on pinch-hitter Tom Goodwin’s sacrifice fly.

MORE

AP-ES-10-01-03 2217EDT