ATLANTA -- With the help of Warren Spahn’s two gems and Wes Covington’s grand slam off Curt Schilling, the virtual 1957 Braves did what the 2001 Braves did not.

The 1957 Braves needed just six games to end their best-of-seven series against the 2001 D-backs in the first round of the MLB Dream Bracket 2: Dream Seasons. Next up is a second-round contest against the 1967 Cardinals, who featured both Bob Gibson and Steve Carlton in their starting rotation.

• Box score and game summary

When first-round action resumes in the National League’s Region 2 bracket on Friday, the 1995 Braves will match up against the 2011 Brewers.

• Full bracket and info

The Braves’ two most recent World Series winners are representing the franchise in this simulated competition, which features many of the greatest teams in baseball history. The competition is being produced by Out of the Park Baseball 21, MLB‘s most realistic strategy game (PC and Mac).

• Complete Dream Bracket 2 rosters

Here's a game-by-game breakdown of how the 1957 Braves advanced past the 2001 D-backs, who won the World Series after bouncing the Braves from the NL Championship Series 19 years ago.

Game 1: Braves 1, D-backs 0
Hank Aaron’s sixth-inning solo shot off Randy Johnson proved to be enough for Spahn, who recorded nine strikeouts while scattering six hits over eight scoreless innings. Spahn pitched around three doubles, including the ones Steve Finley and Matt Williams produced to lead off the first and fifth innings, respectively.

Game 2: Braves 4, D-backs 1
Red Schoendienst and Bill Bruton hit fifth-inning solo home runs off Schilling to give Lew Burdette a lead he would not relinquish. Burdette, who produced a 0.67 ERA over three starts during the 1957 World Series, limited the D-backs to one run over seven innings. Eddie Mathews hit another solo homer in the eighth to cushion the Braves’ lead.

Game 3: D-backs 9, Braves 7
Braves starter Bob Buhl squandered an early advantage, and reliever Bob Trowbridge issued a pair of costly walks during Arizona’s decisive three-run seventh. Tony Womack’s bases-clearing double off Trowbridge proved to be the difference in this slugfest. Aaron and Mathews both singled during a three-run third that chased D-backs starter Miguel Batista, who allowed five earned runs over 2 2/3 innings. Buhl recorded the same line and was also removed in the third.

Game 4: D-backs 2, Braves 0
The D-backs’ Albie Lopez tossed six scoreless innings and drove in the game’s decisive run with a two-out single in the fourth against Gene Conley. Mark Grace doubled to begin the frame and scored on the single by Lopez, who was also backed by Williams’ eighth-inning homer off Ernie Johnson.

Game 5: Braves 3, D-backs 0
Spahn twirled a two-hit shutout, and Mathews gave the Braves all they needed with a fourth-inning solo homer off Johnson. Spahn pitched around Luis Gonzalez’s two-out double in the first inning and then faced the minimum in each of the next five innings. Craig Counsell’s two-out single in the eighth was Arizona’s only other hit. Joe Adcock’s solo homer in the seventh provided a little cushion for Spahn, who totaled 17 scoreless innings during this series.

Game 6: Braves 8, D-backs 2
Covington tripled during a two-run second inning and then chased Schilling with a grand slam in the decisive third. Burdette frequently encountered trouble, but he managed to concede only one run despite allowing 10 hits over six innings. Finley’s four singles paced Arizona’s 14-hit attack, which did not include an extra-base hit.