LOS ANGELES — For the first time this postseason, the Dodgers had to piece together their pitching puzzle by committee. Things held relatively steady for a while until the dam broke in a five-run eighth inning, blowing open an 8-2 Phillies victory in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers still lead the best-of-five series, but now two games to one.
The team was confident in Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound in a potential clinching opportunity,
and with good reason considering he won his previous three such games with the Dodgers, dating back to last year’s NLDS, with only two unearned runs allowed in 17 2/3 innings.
“With the opportunity to close it out,” manager Dave Roberts said of Yamamoto before Game 3, “he’s the right guy tonight.”
For a while, Yamamoto added more zeroes to his ledger, allowing only a walk and no hits to his first 10 batters faced. That extended his string to 27 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run, dating back to September 12.
After being held scoreless until the sixth inning of Game 1, and not scoring until the seventh inning of Game 2, Tommy Edman got the Dodgers offense off to an earlier start in Game 3. After starter Aaron Nola pitched a pair of scoreless frames, left-hander Ranger Suárez entered in the third inning for the all-hands-on-deck Phillies, and Edman ambushed his first-pitch fastball for a solo home run, his second of this postseason.
Kyle Schwarber immediately answered back to start the top of the fourth inning with 455-foot blast that nearly cleared the roof of the right field pavilion, a solo shot that tied the score, for the first run off Yamamoto.
Then things got messy.
Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm followed with singles, and on the latter Andy Pages threw to third base instead of second, and did so wildly. The bouncing throw got away from Max Muncy at third base and into the Dodgers dugout, bringing home a second run and putting Bohm on third, shortly before he scored a third run easily on a flyball.
Pages is the Dodgers best defensive outfielder, but his 12 errors this season lead the majors. He was pinch-hit for in the seventh inning with Miguel Rojas, and Justin Dean played the final two innings in center field.
The Phillies weren’t done, opening the fifth inning with two singles, giving them six hits in their previous nine batters. That ended Yamamoto’s night after only 67 pitches and 12 outs, the shortest start this postseason for the Dodgers and the shortest by Yamamoto since July 7.
Anthony Banda got out of Yamamoto’s jam in the fifth inning by retiring the three left-handed batters he faced, then Jack Dreyer worked around a walk for a scoreless sixth.
Clayton Kershaw’s first relief appearance this postseason began with the top of the Phillies order, and he was greeted with a Trea Turner single before walking Schwarber. Kershaw got a line out to right field for the first out, and then a pitch got away slightly but Will Smith pounced on it in time to catch Schwarber too far off first base for the second out of the inning.
Kershaw fell behind 3-0 to Alec Bohm before an intentional walk was ordered, then Brandon Marsh hit a 108-mph screamer but right at Teoscar Hernández in right field for the final out. Kershaw retired two of his first five batters faced, and threw just nine of 21 pitches for strikes, but got a scoreless inning out of it.
Kershaw’s second inning was not scoreless, and morphed more into a Landon Knack or Brent Honeywell role from last October, soaking up outs in a game the Dodgers were trailing. Kershaw allowed five runs on five hits and a walk in the eighth inning, including home runs by JT Realmuto and Schwarber, his second of the game.
Blake Treinen, who was tasked with a three-run lead in save opportunity in the ninth inning on Monday night and did not retire a batter, two days soaked up the final three outs of a game the Dodgers trailed by seven runs.
Meanwhile, Suárez after the home run to Edman on his first pitch threw 71 more pitches and got through five innings in relief with no other runs charged to his ledger, striking out four to earn the win.
Notes
Mookie Betts’ first-inning triple was his first career postseason triple, and the Dodgers’ first triple of these playoffs. That triple was Betts’ 64th postseason hit with the Dodgers, breaking his tie for second place in franchise history with Steve Garvey, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3.
NLDS Game 3 particulars
Home runs: Tommy Edman (2); Kyle Schwarber 2 (2), JT Realmuto (1)
WP — Ranger Suárez (1-0): 5 IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
LP — Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-1): 4+ IP, 6 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
Up next
After the first attempt was unsuccessful, the Dodgers will again try to close out the NLDS in Game 4 on Thursday night (3:08 p.m., TBS). Tyler Glasnow starts for the Dodgers.
