The Los Angeles Dodgers moved within one win of another National League Championship Series berth Tuesday night, while the San Diego Padres extended their season with a one-run victory in a pair of NL Division Series Game 3s.
Los Angeles defeated the Atlanta Braves 3-1 to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five series. San Diego beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3, trimming Milwaukee’s series advantage to 2-1 and forcing a fourth game.
Yamamoto strikes out 10 as Dodgers take control
Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered seven innings of one-run baseball at Truist Park, setting a postseason career high with 10 strikeouts. The Dodgers broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning against Atlanta ace Chris Sale.
Enrique Hernández and Freddie Freeman homered during the decisive inning, accounting for all three Los Angeles runs. Sale allowed three runs over five innings after keeping the Dodgers off the board through the first three.
Edwin Díaz worked the ninth for the save after Ozzie Albies opened the inning with a double. Díaz retired the next three hitters to preserve the 3-1 win.
The Dodgers lead the series 2-1 and can clinch in Game 4 Wednesday in Atlanta. The Braves need a victory to send the series back to Los Angeles for a deciding fifth game.
Padres hold off Brewers to avoid elimination
San Diego built an early lead and survived a late Milwaukee push at Petco Park. Jake Cronenworth hit a solo home run, and Xander Bogaerts scored what proved to be the winning run on a throwing error as the Padres edged the Brewers 4-3.
Center fielder Jackson Merrill made two important running catches in the early innings, helping San Diego prevent extra-base hits while its offense established a lead.
With regular late-inning options unavailable or limited, Michael King recorded the final six outs on two days’ rest. His 40th pitch produced a game-ending double play on a hard line drive from Christian Yelich.
The victory ended Milwaukee’s opportunity to complete a three-game sweep. The Brewers still lead the series 2-1 and have another chance to advance Wednesday night in San Diego.
Wednesday’s postseason schedule
The American League Division Series also resumes Wednesday, with Cleveland facing elimination against the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees trying to extend their series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Dodgers-Braves and Brewers-Padres Game 4s follow later in the day.
MLB’s official postseason schedule lists the completed scores and current series standings. MLB also published official Game 3 reports on the Dodgers’ 3-1 win and the Padres’ 4-3 victory.
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Featured image credit: Matt Dodd/Unsplash. The baseball-stadium image is illustrative.