The Los Angeles Dodgers weren’t ready to have their season end on Friday night as they earned a 7-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves to cut their National League Championship Series deficit to 3-2.
The Dodgers came out slow in Game 5 and found themselves in a 2-0 hole by the second inning. It was actually a defensive play that got them going as Mookie Betts made an outstanding catch on a fly ball by Dansby Swanson. Marcell Ozuna tried to tag up and score on the play but left early so he was called out to end the third.
That gave L.A. some momentum as Corey Seager came up the next inning and launched a solo home run to center field. Seager had an outstanding night offensively, also providing some insurance on a two-run homer in the seventh inning, his fourth of the NLCS.
Seager has been the Dodgers’ best hitter this postseason and has etched his name in franchise history for most home runs in a single series of any length. The only other Dodgers hit four are Steve Garvey in the 1978 NLCS and Duke Snider in the 1952 World Series and 1955 World Series.
The biggest swing of the night came in the sixth inning when the Dodgers were still trailing 2-1. Betts got things started with an infield single and Max Muncy later walked to put two on with two outs for Will Smith, who was facing the Braves’ Will Smith.
It was the Dodgers’ Smith that got the better of that matchup as despite falling down in the count 0-2, he battled back to make it full and then crushed a three-run home run to left field to give L.A. its first lead of the night.
Bullpen shuts door for Dodgers
Dustin May got the start on the mound but didn’t have his best outing, only lasting two innings. The bullpen picked him up in a big way, covering the final seven innings while allowing just four hits and one run. They combined to strike out seven against only one walk.
Kenley Jansen had perhaps his best outing of the season, striking out the side in the ninth inning to close out the victory.
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