As we get into crunch time in the two League Championship Series, we’re truly getting to an endpoint on the season. Today could very well be the last day of the season where there’s more than one game
on a day. Even if that doesn’t end up being the case, there’s only one more day where that’s even possible anyway. We truly are nearing winter.
However, there were two games on Thursday, so let’s look back at yesterday’s action.
National League Championship Series Game 3
Dodgers 3, Brewers 1
(Los Angeles leads 3-0)
The Dodgers’ pitching once again held the Brewers almost completely in check, and are now one win away from returning to the World Series for the second-straight year and fifth time since 2017. Milwaukee has scored just three times in the NLCS, with one run apiece in each game. That’s quite obviously not enough against an offense like the one in LA.
The Dodgers started out the game on fire, as they scored quickly in the first inning to get their hometown fans buzzing. Shohei Ohtani led off the bottom of the first with a triple, which was immediately followed by a Mookie Betts double.
Despite that, the Brewers did strike back quickly and were in decent shape themselves. Caleb Durbin hit a triple himself (with an assist from Kiké Hernández), and scored on a Jake Bauers single. Thanks to a stolen base and an error, Bauers then ended up with third and just one out in the inning. However, he then ran into an out at home on a grounder, and that effectively ended Milwaukee’s chances.
While Brewers’ pitching did do decently opposite Tyler Glasnow for a while, they eventually couldn’t keep holding out. An RBI single from Tommy Edman in the sixth, and a run-scoring error from reliever Abner Uribe eventually broke the deadlock, and that ended up being all LA needed. For the game, the Brewers recorded just four hits and three walks, and even worse, went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. As a result, their season will be on the line on Friday, though it does at least sound like young star Jackson Chourio will be available after being forced from Game 3 mid-at-bat with severe cramping. Regardless, it’s hard to feel confident that he’ll be enough to help Milwaukee slow this Dodgers steamroller, especially with another opener seemingly on deck.
American League Championship Series Game 4
Blue Jays 8, Mariners 2
(Series tied 2-2)
Max Scherzer turned back the clock and put in 5.2 vital innings to get the Blue Jays a win to even things up in the ALCS. There will be a Game 6 in Toronto after Game 5 today.
While Josh Naylor gave Seattle a lead with a second inning home run, the Blue Jays immediately clawed that back in the third. Andrés Giménez answered back with a two-run homer, while Luis Castillo gifted Toronto another run on a bases loaded walk.
Toronto began to build on their lead the following inning, with George Springer hitting an RBI double. However, the bigger story of the game was the Mariners failing to take advantage of any chances against Scherzer. In his 5.2 innings, Scherzer did allow three hits and four walks. The M’s managed to pick up another run off him — or at least one that went down as earned on him, even though Scherzer himself has left the game already — but they didn’t do remotely enough. Following their first inning run, Seattle could hardly even get their handful of runners into scoring position, with Scherzer even picking off Leo Rivas.
Over the final couple innings, the Blue Jays picked up a few more insurance runs, and that ended up being enough to close things out. Having lost the two opening games at home, Toronto has come back to tie things up. Even if they lose Game 5, they’ll have a chance to go home to try and rally.
