Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Everybody can thank me for the Dodgers coming back with two outs in the 9th against former closer Kenley Jansen, as I maintained despair through the end, causing this late recap.
In all seriousness though, it was a great win that showed fight in the team for once, not only tying the game while down to their final out, but also finally managing to score (and win!) in extras for a 5-3 victory and a series win against their back-to-back NLCS opponent the Braves.
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Early on it was basically a pitchers’ duel between Tony Gonsolin and Spencer Strider, as both were on their game and the teams struggled to score at all.
For the Dodgers, their problems with taking advantage of chances continued to show, as they stranded back-to-back singles with two outs in the 2nd, a single and a wild pitch with no outs in the 4th, and then a single and a double with one out in the 6th. All that meant Strider was able to get six shutout and keep the bats off the board.
Meanwhile, Gonsolin was equally effective for the most part. After setting down seven in a row, he then gave up a double and uncorked a wild pitch in the 3rd but was able to pitch around that. He also escaped a single and a walk in the 4th, and didn’t face a RISP in the 5th despite a walk and a single due to the free pass being erased by a double play.
Unfortunately he couldn’t make it through the 6th. After a lead-off double Gonsolin looked on the verge of getting out of it again, but a bloop single from Marcell Ozuna made it 1-0 to the Braves and that spelled the end of Tony’s night: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 94 Pitches.
Unfortunately, Yency Almonte didn’t seem to have it today, entering and loading the bases on a hit-by-pitch and a walk before ending the 6th. That meant he only got one out, and Dave Roberts choose to go with Alex Vesia next, who also struggled. He gave up two singles, and then it was second and third with nobody out after a bizarre play involving Will Smith and Travis d’Arnaud‘s bat on a steal of third.
After a groundout to a drawn-in infield, Vesia then issued a walk to load the bases and Phil Bickford entered. He got Matt Olson to at least make an out on a sacrifice fly and then got a strikeout to end the 7th only down 2-0.
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On the other end, the Braves pen worked around a single and a walk in the 7th and got a clean 8th, setting things up for Kenley in the 9th. After a dominant showing last night, he was well on his way today with back-to-back strikeouts to start, but then Gavin Lux singled to start a rally, Chris Taylor followed with a sharp single to put runners on the corners, and then he stole second without a throw.
That brought up Trayce Thompson, who did what I commanded and tied the game at 2-2.
Probably the MVP of this game was low-key Reyes Moronta, who got six outs in a row in the 8th and 9th while the Dodgers had a bunch of guys unavailable out of the pen. He helped get this thing into extras, where the Dodgers usually struggle but managed to do stuff this time.
Things started quickly in the 10th as Freddie Freeman doubled to drive in the ghost runner and make it 3-2.
A fly out moved him to third, but Max Muncy then lined a ball right at Olson for an out, and after an intentional walk, a ground out ended the threat.
That was important as Craig Kimbrel got the bottom half of the frame and immediately gave up a single to Olson to tie things at 3-3. But he got through the inning with just that allowed, despite getting unlucky on a call.
The Dodgers scored in not only one extra-inning frame but two! Behind a CT3 double and a Trea Turner single, the Dodgers made it 5-3.
Surprisingly, Brusdar Graterol emerged for the third day in a row and this time set the Braves down 1-2-3 in the 11th for his first save.
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45-26 on the year, and the Padres also lost and they’re two back in the NL West.
Now they travel to Colorado for a series against the Rockies, which they should win but it’s Colorado so who the fuck knows. Anyway, starts at 2:40 PM HT/5:40 PM PT/8:40 PM ET with Tyler Anderson against Chad Kuhl.
