Dodgers’ bats come back to life in Game 2 rout of Giants

SAN FRANCISCO — A cob-webbed skeleton lying connected the structure successful Game 1, the Dodgers’ discourtesy sprang to beingness successful Game 2.

Five of the Dodgers’ 7 runs were driven successful by the bottommost 3 hitters successful their lineup arsenic they evened the NL Division Series astatine 1 crippled apiece with a 9-2 triumph implicit the San Francisco Giants connected Saturday nighttime astatine Oracle Park.

Held to 5 hits successful a Game 1 shutout, the Dodgers had arsenic galore for other bases (four doubles and a location run) successful their full of 11 hits Saturday

By splitting the 2 games successful San Francisco, the Dodgers person fundamentally turned their best-of-five NLDS into a best-of-three – with 2 of those games astatine Dodger Stadium (Monday and Tuesday).

With the creator formerly known arsenic Cody Bellinger, a postseason-averse AJ Pollock and the pitcher’s spot, the bottommost 3rd of the Dodgers’ lineup looked similar the spot rallies would spell to die.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had acknowledged the request to find discourtesy with an injured Max Muncy subtracted from the lineup. His prime to spark immoderate beingness successful the bottommost fractional of the order? Chris Taylor, who finished the play successful a heavy 7-for-65 slump.

But Taylor had earned the commencement with his walk-off location tally successful the wild-card crippled and yet got it successful Game 2.

He doubled successful his archetypal at-bat with 1 retired successful the 2nd inning but Bellinger followed by striking retired for the 3rd clip successful his archetypal 4 at-bats successful this series.

That brought up Pollock – hitless successful his archetypal six postseason at-bats this twelvemonth with 3 strikeouts. With archetypal basal open, 2 outs and the pitcher’s spot connected deck, the Giants opted to intentionally locomotion Pollock and transportation to Julio Urias.

Urias had shown competence astatine the sheet – by pitcher’s standards – with a .203 mean and 9 RBIs this season. He slapped a 1-and-1 splitter from Giants starter Kevin Gausman into close tract for a two-out RBI single, driving successful the Dodgers’ archetypal tally of the NLDS.

Last year’s tally to the World Series rubric was fueled by two-out hits (they acceptable a grounds for two-out runs successful immoderate postseason) and Mookie Betts delivered another, driving successful a 2nd tally with a two-out single.

But the Dodgers discourtesy slipped backmost into neutral. Gausman retired the adjacent 10 Dodgers and the Giants chopped the pb successful half, scratching retired a tally against Urias connected a walk, a azygous and 2 alert balls successful the bottommost of the second.

Trea Turner brought the Dodgers backmost to beingness with a leadoff treble successful the sixth inning and walks loaded the bases with 1 retired for Bellinger.

Before the game, Bellinger was asked successful the interrogation country however helium was handling each the questions astir his dreadfully unproductive play astatine the plate.

“How I’m doing it close now,” helium said affably. “I get asked the question and I reply it.”

A amended reply was the treble helium ripped connected 1 hop disconnected the halfway tract partition connected the archetypal transportation helium saw from Giants reliever Dominic Leone, driving successful 2 runs.

That brought up Pollock (who was present 0 for 7 with 4 strikeouts this postseason) – again with archetypal basal open. He wasn’t walked this clip and lined his ain two-run treble into the left-field country to marque it 6-1.

The Giants answered backmost with a tally against Joe Kelly successful the sixth but Betts made definite it wasn’t much with a antiaircraft play that besides harked backmost to past October’s pandemic “bubble” days successful Texas.

With runners astatine archetypal and third, Brandon Crawford dropped a two-out azygous successful beforehand of Betts who fielded it connected 1 hop arsenic helium spun and fired to 3rd baseman Justin Turner. Wilmer Flores was retired trying to spell from archetypal to 3rd and the inning ended there.

The Dodgers enactment the crippled distant with a three-run eighth that featured Will Smith’s leadoff location tally (on the archetypal transportation of the inning), different RBI from the pitcher’s spot (pinch-hitter Matt Beaty’s RBI single) and different two-out RBI (on Corey Seager’s single).

4 runs connected 2 pitches. 😱

The complexion of this 1 changed QUICKLY. pic.twitter.com/IraiejsmyY

— MLB (@MLB) October 10, 2021

Julio Urías helps his ain cause! #PitchersWhoRake pic.twitter.com/2rgUTmEUbc

— MLB (@MLB) October 10, 2021

Mookie!

The @Dodgers' bats are breaking out. pic.twitter.com/XQ0RDAHjO8

— MLB (@MLB) October 10, 2021