CLEVELAND -- The Atlanta Braves swear this World Series is not over, and you can bet city officials in Atlanta aren't quite ready to finalize plans for a parade down Peachtree Street.


But after Steve Avery defeated the Cleveland Indians, 5-2, Wednesday night before a crowd of 43,578 in Jacobs Field to take a commanding, three-games-to-one lead in the World Series, you've got to like the Braves' chances.


The reason is obvious: The Braves send baseball's best pitcher, Greg Maddux, on his full four days' rest after his two-hit masterpiece against the Indians in Game 1 on Saturday, to the mound for Game 5 Thursday night against Orel Hershiser.


"You've got to be crazy to not like our position," said Atlanta designated hitter Ryan Klesko, who snapped a scoreless tie with a bases-empty home run in the sixth inning Wednesday night.


But the Braves have been in a similar position before, and they know what can go wrong. They lost the Series in 1991 and 1992, and the National League playoffs in 1993.


"We've been through this before. We've been close a lot of times," second baseman Mark Lemke said. "One thing this team is not going to do is grab something that's not in our hands yet."


On Wednesday Atlanta pounded out 11 hits, including three by leadoff batter Marquis Grissom and two each by Luis Polonia and Javier Lopez, and rebounded from an 0-for-8 performance with runners in scoring position in the first five innings with some clutch hits late in the game.


After Klesko's home run in the top of the sixth, Cleveland countered with Albert Belle's solo blast in the bottom of the sixth. But Polonia, playing only because the Braves are allowed to use the DH in the American League park, followed Grissom's walk with an RBI double in the seventh to make it 2-1.


Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove summoned left-hander Paul Assenmacher, whose first job was to issue an intentional walk to Chipper Jones.


Assenmacher struck out Fred McGriff on a nasty slider for the second out, but catcher Sandy Alomar couldn't handle a low fastball, and the passed ball allowed both runners to move up.


Assenmacher, in a battle of left-handers, jumped ahead of Dave Justice, 1-and-2. But Justice slapped a slider up the middle for two runs and a 4-1 lead.