Starting for St. Louis in Game 2 of the Cardinals' Division Series against the Padres, LHP Mark Mulder did not allow San Diego on base in the top of the first. SS-R David Eckstein opened the bottom of the first with a groundball single up the middle. However, St. Louis failed to drive him in as CF-L Jim Edmonds popped out and 1B-R Albert Pujols grounded into an inning ending double play.

One out into the top of the second, SS-R Khalil Greene took a base on balls. 3B-R Joe Randa followed, hitting a line drive single back to the mound, where it bounced off Mulder's upper right arm. Mulder then passed his pain onto 1B-R Xavier Nady, striking his left calf with a pitch and loading the bases. However, he subsequently struck out RF-R Ben Johnson and RHP Pedro Astacio grounded out, stranding the runners. Returning to the mound, Astacio kept the Cardinals off the bases in the bottom of the second.

With one down in the top of third, 2B-R Mark Loretta hit a line drive into far left field for a single, but Mulder retired the Padres next two hitters without allowing Loretta even to advance to second. Leading off the bottom of the third, 3B-S Abraham Nunez negotiated a seven-pitch walk. C-R Yadier Molina then hit a grounder to short, where the ball bounced off Greene's glove and into shallow center beyond second base. The error allowed Nunez to advance to second while Molina arrived safely at first. After Mulder laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third, Eckstein sent a grounder racing to first base, where Nady made a diving stop before relaying the ball to the plate. While C-R Ramon Hernandez argued the call, the home plate umpire correctly ruled Nunez safe, as his foot slid home before Hernandez applied the tag. Eckstein's single also advanced Molina to third. Astacio issued Edmonds a four-pitch walk, reloading the bases, and then Pujols took a five-pitch base on balls, pushing Molina across the plate to put St. Louis up 2-0. Following the back-to-back walks, Astacio handed back-to-back strikeouts to RF-L Larry Walker and LF-R Reggie Sanders, ending the inning.

Greene led off the top of the fourth with a line drive single into shallow left field only to have Randa ground into a double play. Nady then grounded out, putting a quick end to the top of the inning. Leading off the bottom of the fourth, 2B-R Mark Grudzielanek knocked a line drive into right field for a single. Up next, Nunez lifted a flyball to the warning track in right field, where it bounced over the fence and into the Cardinals' bullpen for an automatic double. Molina hit a grounder to first, but Nady's throw home once again wasn't in time to stop the runner, so St. Louis went up 3-0 with runners on first and third. While Astacio struck out Mulder, Eckstein executed a suicide squeeze, increasing the Cardinals' lead to 4-0. The inning ended with Edmonds grounding out.

Pinch-hitting for Astacio one out into the top of the fifth, right-handed hitter Damian Jackson hit a line drive into left field for a single. LF-R Eric Young then hit into an inning ending double play. RHP Clay Hensley replaced Astacio on the mound prior to the bottom of the fifth, and Pujols led off with a grounder hit to the left side of the infield. Greene moved over to field the ball at the edge of the outfield near second base, but his throw pulled Nady off the bag, giving Pujols a single. When Walker sent a grounder to short, Nady chose to retire Pujols at second while Walker beat out the double play attempt to reach first safely. However, St. Louis failed to drive in the baserunner as Hensley retired their next two hitters.

In the top of the sixth, Hernandez provided the line drive into left field one out into the inning and RF-L Brian Giles hit into the inning ending double play. Aside from walking Mulder, Hensley did not allow the Cardinals on base in the bottom of the sixth. Green led off the top of the seventh, floating a long flyball ball to the warning track in right-centerfield for a double. Randa singled on a line drive hit to center and Green advanced to third. Nady then shot a grounder into left field for a single that moved Randa to second and drove in Greene to give San Diego their first run, making the score 4-1. Pinch-hitting for Hensley, right-handed hitter Miguel Olivo grounded into a double play that removed both Nady from the bases while Randa went to third. Losing control of a pitch, Mulder bounced a ball in the dirt in front of Jackson's feet in the batters' box. The pitch caught Jackson's left foot on the bounce, but the umpire believed he was hit by the pitch and sent him down to first. At that point, the Cardinals pulled Mulder and sent in RHP Julian Tavarez. Pinch-hitting for Young, left-handed hitter Ryan Klesko flew out to left to close the top of the inning.

RHP Rudy Seanez took the mound for the Padres in the bottom of the seventh and issued a leadoff walk to Edmonds. Pujols then whacked a line drive into right field for a single on which Edmonds advanced to third. Following a strikeout by Walker, Sanders swatted a grounder down the left field line and into the corner. The hit drove in both Edmonds and Pujols, and while San Diego threw to the plate to try to retire Pujols, Sanders motored around to third. With the score now 6-1, Seanez struck out Grudzielanek, and Nunez flew out to right, ending the inning.

One out into the top of the eighth, Hernandez sent a line drive into left field for a single. Giles then negotiated a six-pitch walk. The runners remained at first and second when Greene lined out to third, but Randa ripped a grounder up the middle for a single, loading the bases. Tavarez's next pitch struck Nady on the hands, pushing Hernandez across the plate. Consequently, St. Louis sent LHP Randy Flores to supplant Tavarez. Pinch-hitting for Seanez, left-handed hitter Mike Sweeney struck out to end the threat.

RHP Akinori Otsuka took Seanez place on the mound in the bottom of the eighth and prevented the Cardinals from reaching the bases in the inning. However, Cardinals' closer RHP Jason Isringhausen was on the mound for St. Louis in the bottom of the ninth and likewise kept San Diego off the bases, securing the win to put the Cardinals up 2-0 in this Division Series.

John Smoltz took the mound for the Braves' to start game two of their series against the Astros. RHP Smoltz's first three pitches led to an embarrassing strikeout for Houston leadoff hitter 2B-R Craig Biggio, however CF-R Willy Taveras then dropped a soft fly into shallow centerfield for a single. 1B-S Lance Berkman followed with a line drive single into center, moving Taveras to second. When 3B-R Morgan Ensberg hit a grounder to third, Atlanta erased Taveras from the bases, but the Braves were unable to turn two, so the Astros retained men on first and second. Up next, RF-R Jason Lane powered a line drive into shallow left. Houston waived Berkman around third and LF-L Ryan Langerhans' throw was not in time to beat him to home, so the Astros went up 1-0 with Ensberg on third and Lane at second. With the count 3-2 on LF-L Orlando Palmeiro, Smoltz intentionally walked him, loading the bases. Houston's push abruptly ended with SS-R Adam Everett striking out on three pitches.

RHP Roger Clemens promptly brought Smoltz back to the mound going one-two-three through the bottom of the first. Both C-R Brad Ausmus and Clemens succumbed to strikeouts before Biggio sent a face-saving line drive into center for a single. However, an ineffective bunt from Taveras brought the inning to a close before the Astros could increase their lead.

CF-R Andruw Jones led off the bottom of the second with a ground ball single into left field, moving to second when 1B-L Adam LaRoche laid down a sacrifice bunt. RF-R Jeff Francoeur worked Clemens for a walk to give Atlanta men at first and second. Clemens retired Langerhans with a strikeout, bringing C-L Brian McCann to the plate. McCann sent his third pitch soaring into the edge of the bleachers just to the left of the Braves' bullpen in right field to put Atlanta up 3-1. Smoltz grounded out to first to end the inning.

Berkman led off the third with a line drive single into left centerfield, but Houston left him stranded at first. Two outs into the bottom of the inning, 3B-S Chipper Jones drew a walk from Clemens. Andruw Jones moved him to third with a line drive single into left center. LaRoche then dropped a flyball into left field for a double drove in both Jones boys, increasing the Braves' lead to 5-1. Clemens closed out the inning by striking out Francoeur.

Smoltz went one-two-three through the top of the fourth to bring Clemens quickly back to the mound. Langerhans dropped a line drive into left field for a single to lead off the bottom of the fourth. McCann hit an infield grounder between first and second. The Astros threw to second to get the force on Langerhans but were unable to turn two. Smoltz then bounced a sacrifice bunt down the first base line to advance McCann to second. Ensberg failed to get in front of the bouncing grounder SS-S Rafael Furcal hit and it bounced into shallow left, allowing Atlanta to establish runners at first and third. On the second pitch of 2B-R Marcus Giles' at-bat, Furcal stole second, however Giles grounded out to end the inning before the Braves could add to their lead.

Biggio led off the top of the fifth with another strikeout, and while Taveras hit a line drive single into center, Berkman hit into a double play, so Smoltz once again only faced three batters. LaRoche worked Clemens for a walk in the bottom of the inning, but he was the only runner Atlanta put on the bases that half. Smoltz went one-two-three through Houston's lineup in the top of the sixth. RHP Brandon Backe then took the mound in relief of Clemens for the bottom of the sixth. Although Langerhans dropped a flyball into shallow left-center for a leadoff single, Backe struck out McCann, and Smoltz bunted into a double play so the Astros deficit remained 5-1.

Two outs into the top of the seventh, right-handed hitter Chris Burke pinch-hit for Backe. Burke sent a flyball down the left field line, where it bounced just in front of the fence. Biggio then sent a groundball whizzing between third and short, but Chipper Jones made a diving stop and threw to first in time to get Biggio for the third out of the inning.

RHP Chad Qualls took the mound for Houston in the bottom of the seventh. Leading off the inning, Furcal slapped a ball midway between home and the mound. Qualls came in to field it, but his throw to first was well over Berkman's head. With the ball headed well down the right field line, Furcal rounded second and went to third, checking over his should a few times as he ran rather than relying on the Braves third base coach. Lane recovered the ball and threw to third where Ensberg appeared to apply the tag just before Furcal slid into the base. Furcal was not pleased as he returned to the bench. Up next, Giles hit a grounder past a diving Ensberg and into left field for a single. Chipper Jones then hit a grounder to Biggio, who bobbled the ball, causing him to have to throw to first for the sure out rather than turning the double play. With Giles on second, Andruw Jones dropped a flyball into mid-centerfield, where Taveras was playing deep. Taveras throw home bounced on the mound so it was not on line to allow the Astros to tag Giles at home. A perfect throw from Ausmus might have caught Jones at second, but his toss was up and Jones safely made it under the tag. With Jones on second, Houston intentionally walked Adam LaRoche, bringing up Francoeur. Francoeur hit a line drive over Biggio's head into right field, allowing Jones to score. He then found himself in a rundown between first and second, enabling the Astros to make the final out of the inning with Atlanta now leading 7-1.

RHP Chris Reitsma relieved Smoltz prior to the top of the eighth. Taveras led off the inning with a line dive single into shallow centerfield, but Houston left him stranded at first. With a travel day on the horizon, the Astros sent RHP Brad Lidge out for the eighth, hoping that if he could keep the Braves from increasing their lead then they would still be able to rally. While he walked both left-handed hitter Kelly Johnson, who was pinch-hitting for Reitsma, and Furcal, Lidge prevented Atlanta from building on their lead. However, the effort proved fruitless as RHP Kyle Farnsworth took the mound for the Braves and retired Houston's sixth, seventh, and eighth hitters to end the game and send the series to Houston tied at a game apiece.