Late-night magic: Braves beat Dodgers 5-4, lead NLCS 2-0

Rosario delivered a 105 mph scorcher up the mediate connected the archetypal transportation aft person Kenley Jansen relieved. Seager tried for a backhand snag, but the shot skidded disconnected his mitt into halfway field.

There was nary accidental to get Dansby Swanson, who raced astir from 2nd with the winning run, dropping his helmet arsenic helium crossed the sheet — a virtual repetition of Game 1 erstwhile Austin Riley came done with a winning deed successful the ninth for a 3-2 victory.

The bid resumes successful Los Angeles, wherever Game 3 successful the best-of-seven bid is acceptable for Tuesday night.

“We each person that dream, that tendency to get to the World Series,” Rosario said. “That’s conscionable what we’re going for.”

The Braves are halfway to their archetypal World Series quality since 1999, but they can’t observe conscionable yet.

A twelvemonth ago, Atlanta held leads of 2-0 and 3-1 implicit the Dodgers successful the NLCS, lone to suffer the past 3 games of a bid played successful Arlington, Texas, due to the fact that the pandemic. Los Angeles went connected to bushed Tampa Bay successful the World Series, portion the Braves stewed for different shot.

They rallied successful the eighth disconnected Julio Urías, who pitched 3 hitless innings to decorativeness Game 7 against the Braves past October.

Seventy-three of 87 teams taking 2-0 leads successful best-of-seven shot postseason bid person gone connected to win.

“We were up connected them 2-0 past year, truthful it’s similar 1 of those things wherever you can’t halt now, you got to proceed to use the unit and travel retired each time and get aft it,” Riley said.

Seager and Atlanta’s Joc Pederson traded two-run homers — Pederson adding to his “Joctober” lore with his 3rd homer of this postseason and archetypal disconnected his longtime squad — earlier Chris Taylor enactment the Dodgers up again with a two-run, bases-loaded deed successful the seventh.

But it was different nighttime of wasted chances for Los Angeles, which went 1 for 10 with runners successful scoring presumption and dropped to 2 for 18 successful the series.

Six outs from tying the series, the Dodgers brought successful expected Game 4 starter Urías to support the pb earlier turning it implicit to Brusdar Graterol successful the ninth.

Rosario led disconnected with a azygous and tagged up to determination up to 2nd connected Freddie Freeman’s flyout.

Ozzie Albies lined to close for different deed disconnected Urias. Rosario zipped astir 3rd arsenic 3rd basal manager Ron Washington sent him home, conscionable beating the propulsion with a superb descent that avoided catcher Will Smith’s swipe.

Then it was Riley coming done again. He ripped a double to partition successful close center, bringing Albies each the mode astir from archetypal with the tying tally arsenic Washington made different assertive send.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had nary regrets astir turning to Urias.

“He was the champion enactment astatine that constituent successful time,” Robert said.

Travis d’Arnaud led disconnected the ninth with a broken-bat azygous to halfway connected a 101 mph transportation from Graterol and was replaced by pinch-runner Cristian Pache. Swanson tried to determination Pache on with a bunt, lone to person the attempted sacrifice effect successful a forceout astatine 2nd erstwhile Seager made a backhand halt connected Graterol’s bounced, offline throw.

Swanson managed to get to 2nd himself erstwhile Guillermo Heredia grounded retired to 3rd base. The Dodgers turned to their person to look Rosario, who connected connected the precise archetypal transportation for the 5th walk-off successful 23 postseason games this year.

Braves person Will Smith picked up the triumph with a 1-2-3 ninth, breathing a large suspiration of alleviation erstwhile Trea Turner’s thrust was caught astatine the basal of the partition successful left.

The Dodgers grabbed a 2-0 pb conscionable six pitches successful against Ian Anderson, who lasted conscionable 3 innings. Mookie Betts led disconnected with a single, and Seager launched 1 implicit the fence successful right-center to stun the raucous crowd.

Pederson brought them backmost to beingness with different installment of Joctober successful the fourth.

With a runner aboard, Pederson connected connected a hanging curve from Max Scherzer for his 3rd homer of this postseason, a 454-foot changeable into Chop House edifice supra the right-field stands.

It was the longest homer by immoderate subordinate successful this postseason — and the 12th of Pederson’s vocation successful the games that truly matter.

Scherzer, who had earned his archetypal vocation prevention successful the deciding crippled of the Division Series against San Francisco, returned to a much acquainted relation arsenic Game 2 starter.

But, with lone 2 days of remainder betwixt appearances, helium departed aft conscionable 4 1/3 innings, having thrown 79 pitches. He surrendered 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 locomotion and struck retired seven.

“My limb was dead,” Scherzer said. “I could archer erstwhile I was warming up that it was inactive tired.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

A sore cervix ended Justin Turner’s streak of 77 consecutive postseason starts.

FIRST PITCH

Dale Murphy, 1 of the Atlanta Braves’ top players, threw out the ceremonial archetypal pitch. Murphy walked toward the mound wearing a No. 3 jersey that was truthful acquainted during his career, pulled disconnected the jersey to uncover Hank Aaron’s No. 44 uniform. past tugged disconnected the Hammer’s jersey and had connected Riley’s No. 27. Murphy besides pulled retired a brace of pearls, a tribute to Pederson’s manner statement.

UP NEXT

RH Walker Buehler (0-1, 3.38 ERA successful the postseason) gets the commencement for the Dodgers successful Game 3 against Braves RH Charlie Morton (0-1, 3.86).