Los Angeles Dodgers, Brewers and NLCS
Digest more
The Dodgers knocked off the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1, in 11 innings Thursday, winning the NL Division Series in four games, and now advance to the National League Championship Series to face the winner of the Milwaukee Brewers - Chicago Cubs series on Monday.
Roki Sasaki sensed an opportunity to boost a Dodgers team in desperate need of relief depth. And, having finally found a comfort level with his new club, he'd regained his confidence.
After Alex Vesia worked a 10-pitch strikeout of Harrison Bader to leave the go-ahead run stranded on second in the top half of the inning, Tommy Edman lined a single into left field. Max Muncy hit one up the middle just past the diving glove of Trea Turner to put runners on the corners with two outs and chased Luzardo from the game.
Kyle Schwarber and the Phillies jump into the lead in the fourth inning before scoring five runs off Clayton Kershaw in the eighth in an 8-2 win in Game 3.
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy issued a warning for the rest of the league amid the Dodgers' postseason run.
The defending champs are one step away from another World Series berth, and they'll be watching Saturday night's Game 5 closely.
Aaron Nola starting over Ranger Suárez in Game 3 of the NLDS was a surprising decision. But Thomson says he "would be shocked" if Suárez didn't pitch out of the bullpen in Wednesday's game.
Reliever Tanner Scott has been removed from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ roster for the remainder of the NL Division Series after undergoing a surgical procedure.
The plucky, semi-anonymous Brewers and their estimated $75 million end-of-year payroll, 24th in the majors according to Cot’s Contracts, go against the Dodgers’ superstar-laden roster and their $252.3 million end-of-year payroll. (Which, incidentally, was second in the big leagues to the Mets’ $274.9 million.)
Tyler Glasnow threw six scoreless innings and Roki Sasaki had three perfect innings of relief as Dodgers pitchers matched Cristopher Sánchez, Jhoan Duran and Phillies' pitchers until they won it in the 11th.
An unfortunate truth about the NLDS, and for about half of the Wild Card round, is that superstar Shohei Ohtani has not been himself. He is hitting just .148 this October and is coming off four NLDS games where he collected just one hit in 18 at-bats.