Mark the date. Games like this can define a season.
Clutch hitting, graceful fielding and elegant relief pitching led the Dodgers back to the top of the NL West Wednesday, as they beat the Atlanta Braves, 4-3. With the victory, the Dodgers slipped ahead of the Giants who fell to the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2, just 355 miles north in Oracle Park.
The victory was the Dodgers’ third in a row as they swept the Braves, last year’s nemesis in a dramatic NL Playoff series.
Pitcher Max Scherzer was all cool performance for the first six innings with a 2-0 lead, thanks to homers from Max Muncy and Austin Barnes, until a two run homer by Eddie Rosario brought the Braves back. The Braves then took the lead on a home run by Dansby Swanson.
From there on out it was Dodgers au go go, as Turner singled, scoring Turner, and then Pollock brought a sliding Turner home, with a single of his own. (See what I did there?)
In the bottom of the ninth, Roberts brought in “El Mariachi,” Joe Kelly who dispatched the Braves with less than a dozen pitches for the win.
With the win,the Dodgers are now in first place by 1/2 game over the Gigantes, and are headed to San Francisco this weekend for one serious showdown in China Basin.
Here’s how we blogged it:
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The Dodgers came from behind Tuesday night and stopped the NL-East leading Braves for the second straight night with a 3-2 victory. The win moved the club just 0.5 games behind the San Francisco Giants for first place in the NL West. That’s closest they have been since the conclusion of play on July 6.
Tonight Max Scherzer (12-4, 2.51) will face lefty Max Fried (11-7, 3.54) for the Braves.
Tonight, Los Angeles wraps up its six-game homestand (3-2) with a Corey Seager World Series bobblehead giveaway.. Following a travel day tomorrow, the Boys in Blue will begin a crucial three-game series with the Giants in San Francisco on Friday night, before heading to St. Louis for four games with the Cards next week.
Game time is 7:10 p.m. Look for me. I’ll look for you.
FIRST INNING
Top
Joc Pederson begins his first at bat with a perfect three-pitch strikeout.
Dansby Swanson (if that’s his real name) flies out to Mookie Betts (no relation.)
Freddie Freeman bloooops one into short left field.
Austin Riley hits a bullet at Max Muncy, who steps on first.
Atlanta 0, Dodgers coming up.
Bottom
Trea Turner flies out to left, not in a good way.
Max Muncy gets to 2-0 (Milwaukee leads San Francisco 2-0 in the second inning at Oracle Park.). He homers over the head and arm of Eddie Rosario (NO relation.)
Mookie Betts is at 2-2, and then suddenly, like an ill wind, strikes all the way out.
Turner is out at The Place Called First.
Dodgers 1, Braves 0.
SECOND INNING
TOP
Travis D’Arnaud (not a Musketeer) strikes completely out.
Eddie Rosario flies out to third.
Adam Duvall,star of “The Adam Duvall Show,” is all struckened out.
Dodgers 1, Braves 0.
Bottom
Corey “no relation” Seager is so out at first, it’s not funny.
AJ Pollock is at 2-2, but then for some reason, is way out at first.
Chris Taylor is at 1-1. He is out with a minimum of discussion.
Dodgers 1, Braves 0.
THIRD INNING
Top
Ehire Adrianza grounds out, right along the ground, with a grounder to Turner to Muncy.
Max Fried (“‘Fried,’ not Fried,’ “) flies out on a scary long ball to center field.
Pederson is very struckened out.
Dodgers 1, Braves 0.
Bottom
Austin Barnes be at 1-1. He be homering to left field.
Turner triples over the head of Joc Pederson’s new haircut.
Betts is out, along with two teammates.
Dodgers 2, Braves 0.
FOURTH INNING
Top
Freeman strikes mostly out.
Swanson does essentially the same thing.
Riley, however, flies way out.
Dodgers 2, Braves 0.
Bottom
Justin Turner is at 2-1. 3-1. 3-2. He heads over to the dugout because strikeout.
Seager loses a Race to the Base That is First.
Pollock is siting shotgun on the strikeout bandwagon.
Dodgers 2, Braves 0.
FIFTH INNING
Top
Travis D’Arnaud, in the time it took me to dash to the restroom and back, grounds out to first.
Rosario singles. To first. Right?
Duvall is at 1-2. 2-2. Scherzer asks him to report back to the dugout for further instructions
Adrianza singles, and moves Rosario to second.
Fried is at 0-2. Because strikeout.
Dodgers 2, Braves 0.
Bottom
Chris. Taylor. Out.
Barnes Strikes Out.
Scherzer is at 1-2. That’s baseball talk for “1-2.”
Dodgers 2, Braves 0.
SIXTH INNING
Top
Pederson flies out to center. Not personally, because that would be weird.
Swanson is at 0-2. He is done like a TV dinner.
Mookie Betts makes short work of a scary fly ball from Freeman.
Dodgers 2, Braves 0.
Bottom
Dodgers go really quietly..
SEVENTH INNING
Top
We got cut off, internet signal-wise, but Eddie Rosario tied up this wingding with a 2-run homer off Graterol.
Dodgers 2, Braves 2.
Bottom.
Nuttin.
EIGHTH INNING
Top
Darby Swanson homers to center field. That’s really all you need to know.
Phil Bickford is now pitching.for Los Doyers.
Austin Riley is at 2-2-2. Now 3-2-2. He is out at first.
Bravos 3, Dodgers 2.
Bottom
Tyler Matzek pitching for Los Bravos.
Trea Turner is at 0-2. He doubles to the deep left corner.
Muncy is out at first, moving Turner to third.
Betts strikes out.
Chat show on the mound. Chris Martin, not the guy from Coldplay, that would really be weird, is now pitching for the Bravos.
Justin Turner is at 2-2-2. He singles to left, scoring Trea Turner.
Seager is at 1-2. He walks on sunshine, and Turner moves to second.
AJ Pollock singles and scores Justin Turner, who dives into home plate. We have runners on first and on second and on first, as well as second.
Taylor is at 1-1. 1-2. 2-2. He is strickened out.
Dodgers 4, Bravos 3.
NINTH INNING
Top
Joe “El Mariachi” Kelly pitching for the Doyers.
D’arnaud is out at first
Rosario is at 0-1. 0-2. 1-2. He loses the now-proverbial race to first.
Duvall climbs to 0-1. He is out at first, as Kelly elegantly retires the side.
FINAL: Dodgers 4, Braves 3.