The Braves turned to a bullpen game Sunday and it paid off in a 3-2 win over the Dodgers, pulling Atlanta even in the National League Division Series.
Michael Harris II was the spark at the plate, collecting three hits and falling just a homer short of the cycle. Atlanta’s pitching staff did the rest, with six arms combining to limit Los Angeles to two runs.
Ray Kerr set the tone as the opener and kept rolling through 2 2/3 innings, allowing two hits and striking out four. The left-hander had already delivered 3 1/3 scoreless innings against the Philadelphia Phillies as an opener in the wild-card round, and he said afterward, "It's what I do.
That's all I can explain," Kerr told John Smoltz of Fox Sports during a postgame interview. "I've been a sleeping beast for the last two years, so now I'm going to leave it all out on the field."
Kerr added: "I thrive in these kind of moments. Do-or-die situations, I love them. I've always loved them since I was a kid in high school when we had 15 errors every game, so I learned to block out errors and just keep pitching."
Rookie Didier Fuentes handled the middle of the game as well, going 3 2/3 innings and giving up just one run. His only mistake came late, when Max Muncy went deep with two outs in the ninth.
Los Angeles got a solo shot from Freddie Freeman in the fourth, but that was all the offense the Dodgers could muster. Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner, lasted only 3 2/3 innings in his start. The Dodgers finished 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
Raisel Iglesias closed it out by retiring Josue De Paula for the final out and the save.
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Atlanta crowds have long had a reputation for sticking with their team through uncomfortable October moments, so seeing the home sides opponent clear out early only sharpened the contrast. It was a reminder that playoff baseball can turn quickly, and that the final innings often say as much about a crowd as they do about the score. [Read more 🡒]
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Braves Just Changed The Feel Of This Dodgers Series
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Raisel Iglesias closed it out to give Atlanta a much-needed split before the series shifts to Truist Park for Game 3, where the atmosphere figures to tilt sharply in the Braves' favor. After dropping the opener, Atlanta avoided heading home in a hole and instead turns the series into a best-of-three with momentum suddenly back in its corner. [Read more 🡒]