westhawaiitoday
LOS ANGELES — The Atlanta Braves relied on a patchwork pitching effort to secure a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, tying the National League Division Series at one game apiece. Ray Kerr and Didier Fuentes teamed up to limit the Dodgers to one run across 6 1/3 innings, while Raisel Iglesias nailed down the final out for his second save of the postseason.
Michael Harris II powered the offense, going 3-for-5 with a triple, a double, one run scored, and one RBI. The Braves now head home for Game 3 on Tuesday, holding momentum in the best-of-five matchup.
Left-hander Kerr started with 2 2/3 scoreless frames, and right-hander Fuentes took over in the sixth, conceding one run over 3 2/3 innings. Iglesias then closed it out. "I think a lot of guys had big at-bats today and pitched really well," Braves catcher Drake Baldwin said. "Having a bullpen game three games in a row is tough to do. I think just kind of how our bullpen showed out says a lot about us, and especially when we have some starters lined up for the next two games back in Atlanta. I think it kind of instills some confidence in us and gives us some momentum going back to Atlanta as well."
Atlanta had considered starting ace left-hander Chris Sale in Game 2 after he recorded the final four outs of Thursday's 6-2 wild-card win over the Philadelphia Phillies, but opted to save him for Game 3. "I think it means a lot to obviously overcome what happened yesterday, not winning the game, and taking momentum and going back to Atlanta and potentially hand the ball off to either Mahle or Sale," Harris said. "I think that gives us confidence and motivation to come back with some momentum."
Freddie Freeman homered against his former team, and Max Muncy also went deep for the Dodgers, who finished 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. "We had opportunities. We just couldn't get a hit when we needed to," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "We didn't throw out a bunch of hits but there was still traffic. We didn't need many hits tonight to have a different result, and we just couldn't get it."
Left-hander Blake Snell lasted just 3 2/3 innings for Los Angeles, allowing one run on three hits with five walks and five strikeouts over 90 pitches. The Braves opened the scoring in the first when Ronald Acuna Jr. singled with one out, stole second, and came home on Mauricio Dubon's two-out, bases-loaded infield single. Atlanta left the bases loaded in the inning.
The Dodgers tied it in the fourth on Freeman's homer off right-hander Grant Holmes. It was Freeman's seventh home run against the Braves since leaving the club after the 2021 season. Atlanta regained the lead for good in the fifth at 2-1 when Harris tripled to left with two outs against Kris Bubic (0-1) and scored on a wild pitch. Harris extended the advantage to 3-1 in the seventh with an RBI double to right off Edgardo Henriquez.
Fuentes was one out away from finishing the win when Muncy homered to right on a 3-2 fastball. Kerr, Holmes, Dylan Lee (2-0), Robert Suarez, Fuentes, and Iglesias combined to hold the Dodgers to two runs on six hits with three walks and nine strikeouts. "I think we all knew it was going to be a really good series. Just two really good teams going at it," Freeman said. "Pitching has been really good in both games so far. We have to find a way to score some runs without hitting a home run. I think that's our biggest thing right now. Get guys on base, get that big hit and hopefully our pitching keeps doing what they're doing."
Brewers Walk Off to Take Commanding Series Lead
MILWAUKEE — Jackson Chourio delivered a two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning, lifting the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-3 walk-off victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday and a 2-0 lead in the National League Division Series.
The Brewers, who hold home-field advantage throughout the playoffs after winning 103 games, trailed 3-2 entering the ninth against Padres closer Mason Miller, who was attempting a six-out save. Christian Yelich and Sal Frelick drew consecutive one-out walks, and pinch-hitter Gary Sanchez walked with two outs before Chourio lined a two-run single to center off a 101-mph fastball from Miller, who had 38 saves in the regular season and one in the wild-card sweep of the Cubs.
Milwaukee was stymied early by Padres starter Michael King, who allowed one run on three hits before exiting after hitting Chourio with a pitch to open the sixth. King retired the first 14 hitters before Yelich's two-out double to right in the fifth. Frelick's RBI single pulled Milwaukee within 2-1.
San Diego capitalized on the Brewers' third error for an unearned run in the seventh off Abner Uribe to go ahead 3-1. Fernando Tatis Jr. reached on an error, and Manny Machado drew a two-out walk. Ty France followed with an RBI single, but the inning ended with Machado thrown out trying to advance to third. The Brewers got an unearned run back in the bottom half when Garrett Mitchell singled, advanced to third on a walk and fielder's choice, and scored on an error by second baseman Jake Cronenworth.
Brewers starter Logan Henderson allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits in five-plus innings. San Diego scored one in the first after Henderson was within one pitch of a perfect inning. Machado drew a two-out walk after being behind 0-2 and advanced on a wild pitch. France followed with an RBI single to center. The Padres increased the lead to 2-0 with an unearned run in the fifth. Luis Campusano singled to open, advanced to third on an error, and scored on a fielder's choice grounder.
The series shifts to San Diego for the next two games, if necessary. Right-hander Dustin May is scheduled to start for the Brewers in Game 3 on Tuesday, opposed by right-hander Nick Pivetta. The Padres swept the Brewers in a three-game series at home in August.
Originally reported by westhawaiitoday.