Yamamoto, two homers lift Dodgers past Braves for 2-1 NLDS lead
The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead in their NL Division Series. Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out 10 over seven innings, and Kiké Hernández and Freddie Freeman homered off Chris Sale. Los Angeles can close it out in Atlanta on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET.
The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Tuesday night at Truist Park and lead their best-of-five National League Division Series 2-1. One more win sends Los Angeles to the NL Championship Series.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, last year's World Series MVP, was the difference. He threw seven innings and allowed one run on four hits, with 10 strikeouts and one walk, before Tanner Scott handled the eighth inning and Edwin Díaz earned the save in the ninth.
The game stayed scoreless until the fourth inning, when Kiké Hernández hit a two-run homer to left field off Braves ace Chris Sale and Freddie Freeman followed two batters later with a solo shot to right-center. One inning earlier, Atlanta left fielder Mauricio Dubón had leaped at the wall to rob Freeman of a home run. MLB.com says it was only the second time in Sale's postseason career that he gave up two homers in one start. Sale lasted five innings and allowed three runs.
Atlanta loaded the bases with one out in the fifth inning, and Drake Baldwin's groundout scored Dubón, but Yamamoto then got Ronald Acuña Jr. to ground out and end the threat. The Braves committed two errors and never scored again.
The home run keeps carrying Los Angeles this October. MLB.com reports all 10 Dodgers runs this postseason have come on homers, the longest such streak to start a postseason in big-league history. Freeman, a former Brave, now has 18 career playoff homers.
Game 4 is Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET in Atlanta on FS1. Tyler Glasnow is set to start for the Dodgers against Tyler Mahle.
The other NL series was underway late Tuesday in San Diego, where Milwaukee led the Padres 2-0 in games. If the Padres win, Game 4 is Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.
In the American League, Tampa Bay and the Chicago White Sox each lead 2-0 and can finish their series Wednesday. Cleveland plays at Chicago at 4 p.m. ET, and the Rays face the Yankees at 8 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium. Both games air on TBS and truTV.
What we know: The Dodgers need one win, and three teams can clinch Wednesday.
What we don't: How Milwaukee and San Diego finished, and whether Aaron Judge returns for New York.
Where outlets agree The Los Angeles Times and MLB.com both report the Dodgers won 3-1 on fourth-inning homers by Hernández and Freeman to lead the series 2-1.
Where they differ The Los Angeles Times frames the win around Yamamoto's seven strong innings, while MLB.com stresses that every Dodgers run this postseason has come on a home run.