Acuna Jr., Freeman Lift Braves To Game 3 Win
Atlanta Braves fans hope Ronald Acuna Jr. will leave behind memories that they remember years after he’s done playing.
Facing elimination, he gave Braves fans his first playoff moment that helped save their season.
The Atlanta Braves defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night 6-5 at SunTrust Park in Game 3 of the NLDS to make it a 2-1 series.
The Atlanta Braves were dominated in the first two games by the Dodgers arms, but with their season hanging in the balance, would swing their way to a Game 4 on Monday.
Behind home runs from their best hitters in Ronald Acuna Jr. and Freddie Freeman and clutch pitching from their bullpen, the Dodgers will have work to do to advance to the NLCS.
Atlanta would record four hits to Los Angeles’ seven, but the biggest hit of the game belonged to rookie outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr.
Against a shaky Walker Buehler, who after a five pitch first inning lost his control over his pitches, the Braves would finally break through in the NLDS.
After walking in pitcher Sean Newcomb on four pitches with the bases loaded to give Atlanta a 1-0 lead, the Atlanta Braves rookie phenom would make Walker Buehler’s first career playoff start one not to remember.
After a very high strike call on a 3-0 pitch, Ronald Acuna Jr. would blast a high fastball from Walker Buehler for a homer to left field for a grand slam to give Atlanta a resounding 5-0 lead in the second inning.
Sean Newcomb, who during the regular-season was a strike away from a no-hitter vs the Los Angeles Dodgers, would only pitch two and two-thirds innings.
His walk to Chris Taylor with two outs in the third inning would lead to Brian Snitker going to his bullpen for right-hander Kevin Gausman.
The Los Angeles Dodgers would answer the Braves five-run second inning by getting back into the game with two runs. Representing the tying run, Manny Machado’s strikeout would leave two runners on base for Los Angeles to end the inning.
The Dodgers would chip away at the Braves lead quickly as they would tie the game in the fifth inning as Chris Taylor’s two-run homer and Max Muncy blast would make it a 5-5 game.
After keeping the pesky and threatening Dodgers offense off the scoreboard in the sixth inning, first baseman Freddie Freeman wouldn’t wait long to give his team back the lead as he hit a first pitch home run to right field off newly inserted pitcher Alex Wood to give Atlanta a 6-5 lead.
Atlanta would take that lead into the ninth inning where closer Arodys Vizcaino would have his hands full with the Dodgers.
Vizcaino would give up a single to Joc Pederson before Justin Turner would draw a walk to give the Dodgers two men with no outs and a dangerous Max Muncy at the plate.
After falling behind 3-0 in the count, Vizcaino would battle back to strikeout Muncy with a 98 mph fastball low and away.
The Braves would get the second out of the inning after Vizcaino would get Manny Machado offer at a pitch that got away from the catcher Kurt Suzuki and moved the game tying and winning runs up 90 feet.
Vizcaino, facing Brian Dozier would two outs, would get Dozier swinging on a 1-2 slider in the dirt as the Braves escaped with their season still in tact.
Dave Roberts went with the rookie right-hander on Sunday night in a road game vs the Braves only to see that decision backfire. That’s a decision Roberts likely won’t lament given his trust in the rookie who since the end of August had been red-hot for Los Angeles.
Reasons for finishing off a series when you’re up 2-0 in a best-of-five series are obvious, and you could see that in Dave Roberts body language as he watched his young pitcher implode in the second inning.
You could also see that in the Dodgers desperation to get back in the game and try to win it after falling behind 5-0 early.
A Game 4 gives Atlanta an opportunity to force a deciding Game 5, something that would cause a great deal of panic and unrest for Dodgers nation.
Los Angeles would go 1-for-9 with RISP vs the Atlanta Braves. A total of nine me would be left on base.
It was a tough night for superstar shortstop Manny Machado, who in big spots with runners in scoring position in the third and ninth inning struck out.
For the Atlanta Braves, it’s one game at a time with an increased sense of urgency knowing that a loss ends the season.
The Braves couldn’t score a run in the first two games as Hyun-Jin Ryu and Clayton Kershaw combined to go 15 innings with zero runs allowed vs them.
A quick start allowed for Brian Snitker’s young team to exhale some and not press vs a Dodgers team that 1 through 7 are deep in their lineup.
Those exhales would become lesser and lesser as the Dodgers climbed back into the game, but the Braves wouldn’t fold and because of it, will have a game at home to force a Game 5 back in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
What are your thoughts on the Atlanta Braves victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers? Leave your comments below!
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