Steve Webb
ATLANTA, GA — It looked like the game was going to be a big fat bummer. Instead, it turned into the game of the year so far. With two outs in the ninth and trailing by two runs, the Dodgers came alive at the last possible moment. They tied it up in the ninth, and went on to win the game in eleven innings by a score of 5-3. It. Was. Awesome.
Gonsolin and Strider both stingy
The game started without much in the way of excitement. Unless you like good pitching. Braves starter Spencer Strider was great, and our own Tony Gonsolin was almost as good as they both went deep into the game. Strider pitched 6.0 shutout innings, and gave up only five hits along the way while striking out seven. Tell you what, these Braves starters are legit.
For his part, Gonsolin struggled a bit locating pitches, but as usual, he made the pitches he needed to when guys got on. In the end, he only gave up one earned run in 5.2 innings. The lone blemish on his night was a two-out RBI single off the bat of Marcel Ozuna. He left the game trailing 0-1 and it seemed like his undefeated record might be in jeopardy. And, when Alex Vesia gave up another run in the seventh, things looked very grim indeed.
Here comes Kenley…
And, of course, guess who came in to close out the game? Our old buddy Kenley Jansen, who looked like an All-Star on Saturday, striking out the side to preserve a Braves win. And, it looked very much like the same thing was going to happen again. Justin Turner struck out swinging. And Cody Bellinger did the same. The Dodgers barely had a pulse when Gavin Lux stepped up to the plate. However, he got ahead in the count, and when it evened up 2-2, he fouled off a cutter on the black to stay alive.
Heroics in the ninth
Then, Luxy started the comeback train rolling. He banged a solid single into right. And, have you heard? You can run on Kenley? Well, the Dodgers know that all too well, and so Gavin Lux ran on the first pitch. The pitch didn’t reach the catcher’s mitt for a throw, as CT3 banged a single of his own into left, sending Lux to third.
Now with runners on the corners, guess what? You got it, we stole a base on Kenley again. Chris Taylor went on the first pitch, and there wasn’t even a throw from Travis d’Arnaud. So with the tying run in scoring position, it was up to Trayce Thompson, who’s already already had a couple of big knocks on this road trip. But he quickly got in an 0-2 hole against Jansen. But he fouled off a pitched and took a ball before he got a pitch he could handle.
Trayce jumped on a cutter and ripped a liner to the right side of the infield. Matt Olson leaped to attempt the catch but the ball glanced off his glove and landed in shallow right field. Because Olson slowed the ball down, both Lux and Taylor were both able to scamper home and the score was tied. And, if not for a diving catch from Michael Harris, Trea Turner could have ended the game in regulation. Instead, after the Braves went 1-2-3 in the ninth, it was on to extra innings.
Freeman comes through in the tenth
The tenth inning started, as they always do, with a man on second. This time it was the speedy Trea and Freddie Freeman at the bat. Freeman took a ball from new reliever Will Smith and pulled it down the line. It landed exactly on the chalk for a fair ball, and when the dust had cleared, the Dodgers were up 3-2 and Freeman was parked at second base with a clutch double.
Unfortunately, the Dodgers couldn’t cash in Freeman’s run, and the game went to the bottom of the tenth with the Dodgers clinging to a one-run lead. But, the Dodgers couldn’t hold it. Or to be more precise, Craig Kimbrel couldn’t hold it. On the second pitch of the inning, Matt Olson pulled a single into right that easily scored the tying run. Kimbrel manned up for three straight outs after that, and the game went into the eleventh deadlocked at three runs apiece.
Clutch hits to win the game
In the eleventh, it was Cody Bellinger on second (the Dodgers sure lucked out with their ghost runners in this one). Gavin Lux absolutely obliterated a ball to the gap in right center, but that dang Michael Harris ran that one down, too. But Belli moved to third and once again the Dodgers were in prime condition to score again.
Then it was Taylor’s turn. And he came through again. He ripped a ball down the line and again it glanced off a Braves’ fielder’s glove. This time it was Austin Riley who tried to flag it down, but it went into foul territory, and Bellinger easily scored. Taylor was at second with a run-scoring double. Once again, it was up to the nine hitter, Trayce Thompson. No dice this time for Thompson, as Braves reliever Darren O’Day struck him out on four pitches.
Two outs, and it was the top of the order. Trea Turner had one more chance. After being on fire for most of the road trip, it seemed like this wasn’t Turner’s night, as he was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts as he stepped into the box. However, different story this time. Trea smack a liner past a diving Dansby Swanson and Taylor scored that critical second run of the inning.
Graterol shuts the door
Then it was up to Brusdar Graterol. Remember him? The guy who gave up the go-ahead jack on Saturday? Yeah, him. And he was bringing the cheese in this one. Hitting over 100 on most of his pitches, Graterol had an easy inning of it in the eleventh. Two groundouts and a K to Dansby Swanson to finish off a glorious win. Attaboy, Brusdar!
Bring on the Rockies!
After winning two out of three from the hottest team in the majors, the Dodgers sit high atop the NL West, two games ahead of the Padres. With a 45-26 record, they’re just a percentage point behind the Mets for the best W-L record in the NL. They’ll try to finish off a successful road trip in Denver with three with the Rockies. Tyler Anderson, Clayton Kershaw, and Julio Urias will try to bring the Dodgers home on a roll. All three games will start at 5:40 pm PDT. Let’s go Dodgers!
Cans of Corn…
- Gotta give big love to Reyes Moronta. Two shutout innings.
- Chris Taylor going 3-3 after entering the game in the 9th. Wow.
- Gavin Lux was mega-clutch with that two-out hit to start the rally.
- This was the best game of the year. Hands down.
