Brew Crew Roll To Shutout Win In LA
Going on the road to play Game 3 of the NLCS in a tied series was something Milwaukee wanted to avoid.
Close to their first World Series birth since 1982 when they were an American League team, they weren’t going to back down now.
The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night at Dodger Stadium in Game 3 of the NLCS to take a 2-1 lead.
Opportunistic, gritty, and persistent, the Milwaukee Brewers regained control of a entertaining NLCS to this point behind key hits and strong pitching.
Jhoulys Chacin (2-0), making his second postseason start, would give his club exactly what they needed coming off the Game 2 loss.
Flanked by stellar defense and pitching in a groove, Chacin befuddled the Dodgers bats and gave his team’s offense a chance to capitalize late in the game on Los Angeles’ miscues.
Both teams combined to go 1-for-16 with RISP, with Los Angeles coming away empty handed going 0-for-10 as they were shutout for the first time since September 16th.
It’s Milwaukee’s third shutout win of the postseason thus far.
The Brewers bullpen, which had surrendered eight runs in the first two games of the series after only giving up two runs in the NLDS vs Colorado, bounced back in Game 3.
The Brewers bullpen would combine to throw three and two-thirds scoreless innings as they allowed two hits and one walk while striking out eight.
The Milwaukee Brewers would jump out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning after a one-out RBI double by Ryan Braun scored Christian Yelich from first base.
Jhoulys Chacin would provide Milwaukee with a steady performance as he took the mound for the second time this postseason.
The left-hander would strand runners on second base in the second and fifth inning to preserve Milwaukee’s one-run edge.
Jhoulys Chacin would be relieved after five and one-thirds innings in which he allowed three hits and two walks while striking out six Dodgers in a scoreless start.
Corey Knebel would come in and strike out four batters over one and two-thirds innings for the Brewers.
Walker Buehler (0-1) gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a solid effort throughout most of Game 2, but the rookie right-hander would stumble late in the game for the Dodgers.
Milwaukee, looking to take back home-field advantage, scored a run in the sixth inning on a wild pitch by Buehler as second baseman Travis Shaw, who tripled with two outs, scored from third base to make it a 2-0 Brewers lead.
Shortstop Orlando Arcia would pad the lead with a huge two-run homer off Buehler in the seventh inning to give Milwaukee a 4-0 lead on the road.
Buehler finished the game allowing four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out eight or seven gritty innings.
With Milwaukee’s bullpen moving on from Knebel in the seventh, Joakim Soria and Josh Hader would combine to get three outs in the eighth inning as another inning went by without a Dodgers hit or baserunner.
Jeremy Jeffress would come on to get the final three outs of the game in the ninth. Much-like his entire postseason run to this point, Jeffress would make an appearance that didn’t disappoint making Brewers fans heart race.
The Dodgers would begin the ninth inning with a single by Justin Turner and a double by Manny Machado. Yasiel Puig would walk after a pop-up by Cody Bellinger.
Facing the Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal, Jeffress would punchout Grandal on three pitches to get the Dodgers to their final out in the form of second baseman Brian Dozier.
After three curveballs to start the at-bat, Brian Dozier would be frozen on a 1-2 fastball low and away to end the game as Jeffress survived a late rally from the Boys in Blue.
It’s a sigh of relief for Craig Counsell to watch his bullpen not produce another erratic display (Although it got a little scary there in the ninth) as they had through the first two games of the NLCS.
The Milwaukee Brewers felt like they should’ve been up 2-0 coming into Los Angeles for Game 3 after letting a 3-0 lead slip away late in Game 2.
Looking to assert themselves after having their 12-game winning streak snapped, they did exactly that with a win reminiscent of what we’ve seen from them during their 96-win regular-season.
Craig Counsell’s ball club now has an opportunity over the next two games of either ending the series and advancing to the World Series or taking a 3-2 series lead back to Miller Park.
For the Los Angeles Dodgers, offense was not a premium on this night for Dave Roberts’ team.
In somewhat of a shock, Los Angeles continues to get absolutely little done against the starters of the Brewers as they have scored a grand total of two runs vs them in the first three games.
Opportunities were few, but those opportunities missed during this game before the sixth and seventh inning where Milwaukee assumes control were Los Angeles’ chance to change the momentum of this game.
Now down 2-1, they will have to win Game 4 on Tuesday night to avoid a 3-1 hole against the Milwaukee Brewers.
What are your thoughts on Milwaukee’s Game 2 win? Leave your comments below!
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