Joc Pederson’s 3-run homer helps Braves top Brewers for 2-1 series lead

By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA — Joc Pederson credits his postseason occurrence to “not making immoderate infinitesimal bigger than it needs to be.”

With different jolt, Pederson enactment the Atlanta Braves connected the verge of advancing successful the playoffs.

Pederson kept enhancing his “Joc-tober” nickname with a three-run, pinch-hit homer and the Braves unopen down Milwaukee erstwhile again, beating the Brewers, 3-0, connected Monday to instrumentality a 2-1 borderline successful the best-of-five NL Division Series.

“It was beauteous special,” Pederson said of the fifth-inning drive. “To travel up large successful a infinitesimal similar that was beauteous cool.”

In a matchup dominated by pitching, Ian Anderson and the Braves bullpen combined connected a five-hitter and won by a 3-0 people for the 2nd consecutive game.

Boosted by shortstop Dansby Swanson’s diversion defense, Atlanta tin effort to scope its 2nd consecutive NL Championship Series erstwhile it hosts Game 4 connected Tuesday.

Pederson’s homer was his 2nd of the series, some arsenic a pinch-hitter against Adrian Houser. Pederson singled arsenic a pinch-hitter successful his lone different at-bat successful this bid and has driven successful 4 of Atlanta’s 7 runs.

Pederson has deed 11 postseason location runs wide and helped the Dodgers triumph the World Series past twelvemonth with his longballs. He past signed arsenic a escaped cause with the Chicago Cubs successful the wintertime and was traded to Atlanta successful July.

“He’s been successful the large moment, the large stage, and he’s performed and guys admit that,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.

Since winning the opening crippled of the series, the NL Central champion Brewers person not scored successful 19 consecutive innings. They were 0 for 8 with runners successful scoring presumption successful this loss.

Asked astir the poorly timed violative slump, Manager Craig Counsell said, “We’re successful it. I thought we swung the bats amended today. … We’ve got to drawback a break, frankly.”

Anderson was ascendant for the NL East champion Braves, allowing 3 hits implicit 5 innings with nary walks and six strikeouts. Will Smith, the 4th Braves reliever, pitched a cleanable ninth for his 2nd prevention of the series.

Milwaukee starter Freddy Peralta pitched 4 scoreless innings and was pulled for a pinch-hitter erstwhile the Brewers threatened successful the fifth.

Houser gave up singles to Travis d’Arnaud and Swanson to unfastened the fifth. Pederson, hitting for Anderson, pulled a high, wrong fastball heavy into the right-field seats for a 3-0 lead.

“It didn’t look similar a atrocious transportation to me, but springiness him credit,” Counsell said.

Asked however helium pulled the precocious transportation for the homer, Pederson shrugged and said, “I conjecture I’m a beauteous bully player, I don’t know. I knocked it retired of the yard.”

Adam Duvall made a important baserunning mistake erstwhile helium tried to beforehand from archetypal to 2nd arsenic Austin Riley tried to people from 3rd connected d’Arnaud’s flyball successful the second. Left fielder Christian Yelich nailed Duvall for the 3rd retired earlier Riley crossed the plate, costing Atlanta a run.

The Brewers deed lone .183 successful the archetypal 2 games of the series, including a 3-0 nonaccomplishment successful Game 2. Counsell made 1 lineup change, inserting Luis Urías astatine 3rd basal for Eduardo Escobar.

The Brewers couldn’t people successful the 5th aft putting runners connected 2nd and 3rd with nary outs. Urías, deed by a pitch, moved to 3rd connected a treble by Omar Narváez.

Anderson escaped erstwhile Lorenzo Cain’s crisp grounder was stopped by a diving Swanson, who held the baserunners earlier throwing to first. Urías was caught successful a rundown connected pinch-hitter Daniel Vogelbach’s grounder to 3rd base, and Kolten Wong lined retired to Freddie Freeman astatine archetypal basal to extremity the inning.

Swanson turned an acrobatic treble play to extremity the eighth aft Luke Jackson walked Jace Peterson and gave up a one-out azygous to Willy Adames.

PEARLS OF WISDOM

Pederson inactive wore the pearl necklace successful his postgame quality league that became portion of his azygous precocious this season. He said the pearls are existent and were ordered from his jeweler.

“I deliberation I conscionable saw the pearls and thought that looked cool,” helium said, adding the necklace “kind of caught my eye.”

CAIN CRASHES

Brewers halfway fielder Cain, moving astatine afloat speed, crashed into the ligament obstruction arsenic helium tried to drawback Duvall’s thrust successful the fourth. Cain held the shot successful his mitt earlier hitting the crushed and losing control. Cain stayed down arsenic Duvall raced to 3rd with the two-out triple.

Cain remained successful the crippled aft a sojourn from Counsell and a trainer. Peralta struck retired Eddie Rosario to extremity the inning.

“He was fortunate helium conscionable jammed his shoulder,” Counsell said. “It’s astir apt going to beryllium a small sore tomorrow, but I’m optimistic.”

VISITING BOBBY

Snitker said helium visited with Hall of Fame erstwhile manager Bobby Cox connected Sunday. Cox, 80, has made lone infrequent visits to Truist Park since suffering a changeable successful 2019.

“He’s excited,” Snitker said. “He’s excited and watching each the games.”

Snitker said Cox is “hanging successful there” and said his sojourn “was good. He was each excited and jacked up astir everything, that’s for sure.”

E-5 AS A FAN

Braves Hall of Fame 3rd baseman Chipper Jones astir apt didn’t expect to person a shot travel his mode erstwhile helium settled into his container spot adjacent the Atlanta dugout.

Jones should person brought his glove.

The TV cameras caught the enactment erstwhile Jones dropped a popular foul deed by Urías successful the 2nd inning.

UP NEXT

Following the game, Snitker and Counsell would not denote starting pitchers for Game 4 connected Tuesday astatine 2:07 p.m. PT. Snitker said “everybody is successful play” including Game 1 starter Charlie Morton, who would beryllium pitching connected abbreviated rest. A imaginable enactment for the Brewers is left-hander Eric Lauer. Counsell said his Game 1 starter, Corbin Burnes, would not beryllium his choice.

Joctober! pic.twitter.com/ESnQWExoHI

— MLB (@MLB) October 11, 2021

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js