The reports of the Dodger’s demise have been greatly exaggerated, at least for now. The Dodgers were like a sleeping ogre in game 3 of the NLCS against the Braves on Wednesday afternoon. Imagine the Dodgers as an enormous ogre that finally woke up after a long slumber and he’s cranky. He’s hungry and he hasn’t had his morning coffee yet, so he annihilated everyone and everything in his path. That was the Dodger’s offense in their game 3 record setting 15-3 win over Atlanta. The win gets the Dodgers back in the series as the Braves still hold a 2-1 series advantage.
To put into perspective what the Dodgers did in the first inning of game 3, the boys in blue made MLB postseason history. They scored 11 runs on six hits, three home runs including the grand slam from Muncy, three walks, a hit batter, and an overturned call. The Dodgers scored ten of those eleven runs with two outs. Overall the Dodgers scored 15 runs on 16 hits, and slugged five home runs. Joc Pederson recorded four hits and Corey Seager tallied three hits. Muncy and Bellinger had two a piece, Muncy drove in four runs, and Seager drove in three. The Dodgers drew eight walks and were 5 for 13 with runners in scoring position.
On the pitching side, Julio Urias allowed just one earned run on three hits with two walks and five punchouts across five solid frames. The rest of the staff Kenley Jansen, Pedro Baez and Alex Wood each turned in some low leverage innings to give the Dodgers some length.
NLCS Game 3
Dodgers 15 15 0
Braves 3 7 0
WP-Urias-1-0
LP-Wright-0-1
HR-Pederson-1-Rios-1-Muncy-2-Bellinger-1-Seager-2-Pache-1
But the pitching wasn’t the story in this one. The Dodgers delivered a frightening blow to the Braves. We know they are capable of putting up crooked numbers so hopefully this changed the momentum and at least puts some doubt in Atlanta’s head. The first inning was spectacular. It started with Mookie Betts reaching on an infield single that was originally called out when Atlanta third baseman Johan Camargo made a fantastic play but Mookie beat the throw by a step. After the call was overturned, Seager doubled him in and the Dodgers went ahead early with a 1-0 lead. Then Justin Turner and Max Muncy grounded out against opposing starter Kyle Wright. Then the hit brigade started. It was like a bludgeoning and the smacks came hard and fast. It went double, walk, three-run home run, solo home run, walk, pitching change, another walk (off of Grant Dayton), line drive single, hit by pitch, grand slam home run, and a strikeout to mercilessly end it. When the smoke had cleared the Dodgers had plated eleven runs.
The Dodgers announced that Clayton Kershaw will start game 4 on Thursday evening against Bryse Wilson. We don’t know if his back is 100% yet, but it’s an encouraging sign for the Dodgers. If the Dodgers are going to complete this amazing series comeback they are going to need Clayton Kershaw to lead them there. He can do that tomorrow and finally help erase his seemingly neverending postseason narrative. Tomorrow is a must win for the boys in blue. The Dodgers are still trailing in this series but they are certainly not dead yet. This series isn’t over.
Well the Braves got the smoke signals last night, and the Dodgers delivered… boy did they.
The bats remained hot today. They did not disappoint. Joc 4-6, Cory 3-4, Muncy and Belli 2-4, a big part of the 15 run, 16 hit attack. Urias battled and expended too many pitches, but managed to make it to 5 innings and scooped up the win.
Braves say a bullpen game tomorrow, but the Dodgers got a good look at what they have, including Melancon. Could be Kershaw and May tomorrow for the Dodgers.
Go Blue!
Seems the Game 3 bludgeoning was just a fluke. One of the rare times the Dodgers were able to take advantage of a rookie pitcher. In Game 4, the Dodgers returned to form, and were again stymied by a rookie, who out-pitched their veteran, Cy Young winner…. yup, Clayton Kershaw, again.
Atlanta’s Manager must have gotten the memo circulating around the league, that Dodgers cannot hit rookie pitching. So, he wisely took note and threw three rookies on the bump, and won two out of three! So, the Dodgers are now one game from elimination. who Knew?
Wow, what team was out there on the field in Game 4? Like night and day. Could have been the same team as last night, but with the 20MPH winds swirling around, the HR ball was not going to be there. Unfortunately, the Dodgers’ hitters refused to adjust and were still looking for that perfect pitch to launch…. swinging from their heels. Braves hitters adjusted, and were just putting the ball in play, and letting the Dodgers make mistakes on defense. Should the roof had been closed? They say that because there were fans in the stadium, the had to keep the roof open due to COVID rules., to keep fresh air flowing. I think it should have been closed, but it really does not matter. No sense in crying about it, as both teams had to deal with it. Nobody had the advantage.
Kershaw pitched OK, but the wheels fell off his buggy in the 6th. His 11th post season start in which he gave up 4+ runs. Face it, Kershaw is no longer the Ace he once was. The Bullpen could not stop the bleeding tonight either. Dodger bats were silenced by another rookie pitcher, who held the Dodgers to 1 hit and one run over 6 innings. Too many times, the Dodgers make a rookie pitcher look like Cy Young. How many times have the Dodgers stacked the lineup with lefties, and have failed?
Dodgers Now must face an almost Impossible task of winning 3 straight to keep the season alive. It can be done, but this Brave team is fired up and have all the momentum now. The Dodgers looked like deers in headlights in game 4. We just might have to settle for another little Western Division trophy and pennant.
All we can do is hope and pray. I am not saying it cannot be done, but it just depends on which team decides to show up…. what lineup DR and his Ouija Board come up with.
One game at a time! I can still feel a pulse, but it is extremely weak.
Dr. Frankenstein shouted, “It’s Alive!!, It’s Alive!!” An early Halloween treat for the Dodger fans.
May was not perfect, and lasted only two innings, but did a commendable job, non the less. May gave up two early runs, one unearned due to a uncharacteristic passed ball by The Fresh Prince, and expelling 55 pitches in the process.
We saw just about everything after that. The bullpen came through big. Treinen was back in form, and Bazzoka Boy was locked and reloaded. Even Jansen looked like the old Jansen we once knew. Like a defibrillator, Betts again sparked life back into the Dodger dugout, this time with his amazing defensive acrobatics, bailing out Joe Kelly in the process. Kelly returned to the dugout with a huge sheepish grin of a brightly lit Jack O’Lantern. The Dodgers offense rose from the dead after that. Cory gets two homers and 3 RBI, and like The game show, What’s My Line?, the “Real” Will Smith proudly stood up and made up for his passed ball with a thunderous 3-run blast off of the impostor Will Smith, that was essentially the nail in the Braves’ coffin.
Two negatives…. Cody Bellinger continues to stink, offensively, 0-4 with 3 K’s, and as a team the Dodgers had a total of 14 strikeouts. I know Cody is frustrated (39 AB’s and 14 KO’s this post season), but his negative body language could be as contagious as the COVID, and bring down the team’s spirit. Don’t worry Belli. They got your back, just continue supporting with your defensive prowess.
One game at a time. There is still life in them Dodgers!