cbs42
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Michael Harris II delivered a standout performance, tripling and scoring the go-ahead run on a wild pitch by reliever Kris Bubic in the fifth inning, as the Atlanta Braves edged the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Sunday night to split the National League Division Series at one game apiece.
"Getting the split in this place against these guys, yeah, it's awesome," Braves manager Walt Weiss said.
Harris added an insurance run with a two-out RBI double to right off reliever Edgardo Henriquez in the seventh, capping a game that turned into a bullpen battle for both teams after the Braves knocked out Dodgers starter Blake Snell after just 3 2/3 innings – his shortest postseason start since 2022 with San Diego.
Harris also singled in the third, finishing a home run shy of the cycle.
"Michael had a great game," Weiss said. "Postseason, you never know what's going to happen. There's no blueprint. There's no playbook. There seems to always be unsung heroes in the postseason."
Max Muncy's two-strike, two-out homer off Didier Fuentes brought the Dodgers within 3-2 in the ninth. Braves closer Raisel Iglesias, their fifth reliever, then earned his second save by getting pinch-hitter Josue De Paula to foul out to third to end it.
"They're going to use any pitcher, try to get every matchup possible," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "They're going to ride certain guys, and obviously they use their bullpen accordingly."
Runs were scarce after the teams combined for five homers in the Dodgers' 5-3 victory in Game 1.
After Mookie Betts walked and Shohei Ohtani singled to open the fifth, Atlanta's bullpen retired the next 14 consecutive Dodgers hitters. Los Angeles stranded seven runners over the first five innings.
Ohtani, the four-time MVP, was not a factor for the second straight game, going 1 for 4 with two strikeouts.
"If you look at the at-bats, there's a lot of chase," Roberts said. "It's hard to square up, put good swings on balls that are out of the zone."
The Braves retook the lead, 2-1, on Bubic's wild pitch after Harris's two-out triple, his first ever in the postseason.
Freddie Freeman tied it at 1 on a two-strike solo shot off Braves reliever Grant Holmes in the fourth while facing his former team for the first time in the postseason.
"We got to find a way to score some runs without hitting a home run. That's our biggest thing right now," Freeman said. "Get guys on base, get that big hit and hope that our pitching keeps doing good."
Snell struggled throughout, never finding a rhythm. The two-time Cy Young Award winner threw 90 pitches and only 47 for strikes. He gave up one run and three hits, walked five and struck out five. Snell needed 27 pitches to get through the first, when he had only three more strikes thrown than balls.
The Braves led 1-0 on Mauricio Dubón's bases-loaded, two-strike single to shortstop with two outs in the first. Betts made a diving stop, but his throw to first was too late, allowing Ronald Acuña Jr. to score after singling and stealing second.
Ray Kerr started the game for the Braves, who elected to give Chris Sale extra rest ahead of his start in Game 3.
Roki Sasaki, the Dodgers' sixth reliever, loaded the bases in the eighth on a walk, hit by pitch and an intentional walk with one out. Acuña hit into an inning-ending double play.
Up next: After a travel day, Braves LHP Chris Sale starts Game 3 on Tuesday in Atlanta against Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
_ See AP's full MLB coverage here.
Originally reported by cbs42.