NLCS: Dodgers on brink of elimination after Game 4 loss to Braves

LOS ANGELES — The bills support coming due.

Before utilizing Max Scherzer successful alleviation successful Game 5 of their National League Division Series win, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged determination is ever a imaginable “cost” to utilizing a starting pitcher retired of the bullpen betwixt his starts.

Pitching for the 4th clip successful 12 days erstwhile helium started Game 2 of the NL Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves, Scherzer said his limb was “dead” and helium lasted lone 4-1/3 innings successful a loss.

Julio Urias pitched retired of the bullpen successful that crippled and was ineffective, allowing 2 runs successful his inning.

Pitching for the 4th clip successful 12 days successful Game 4 connected Wednesday night, Urias gave up 3 location runs successful the archetypal 11 batters helium faced (and for conscionable the 2nd clip successful his career) and the Dodgers ne'er recovered, losing to the Braves, 9-2.

Baseball contented says momentum is lone arsenic bully arsenic your adjacent day’s starting pitcher. Urias wasn’t precise bully – but the Dodgers’ discourtesy did thing to physique connected the momentum of Cody Bellinger’s restorative three-run location tally successful the eighth inning of Game 3, getting nary hits until the 5th inning and lone 4 total.

The Braves’ triumph (their archetypal astatine Dodger Stadium since June 2018) gives them a 3-1 pb successful the best-of-seven NLCS – for the 2nd twelvemonth successful a enactment against the Dodgers. Facing elimination successful Game 5 for the 4th clip successful 11 games this postseason, the Dodgers request to triumph Thursday conscionable to widen the bid backmost to Atlanta.

“There’s truly nary request to archer anyone that we tin bash it. We’ve done it. We’ve been here,” Dodgers outfielder AJ Pollock said. “If we triumph tomorrow, we’re not successful a atrocious spot. So it’s going to beryllium a large time tomorrow. We got to regroup. We got to get aft it and thing tin hap if we triumph tomorrow.”

They volition person to bash it without heroes of postseasons past Max Muncy (injured elbow) oregon Justin Turner now. Turner near Game 4 successful the seventh inning with a hamstring wounded and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts “I deliberation that volition beryllium it for him” successful this series.

And they volition effort to bash it portion quilting unneurotic yet different ‘bullpen game.’

“You ne'er privation to person your backs against the wall. That’s not however you gully it up,” Roberts said. “We person a precise resilient team, a precise pugnacious squad and it’s not going to get overmuch tougher than facing (Braves Game 5 starter) Max Fried successful an elimination game. But we’ve done it before.

“I would emotion to spell to Atlanta.”

Urias didn’t springiness up a location tally successful 35 innings implicit his last six starts successful the regular play and conscionable 1 successful his archetypal 11 innings of the postseason. But Eddie Rosario and Adam Duvall deed back-to-back homers to commencement the 2nd inning and Freddie Freeman added a 3rd solo homer to commencement the 3rd inning.

Rosario continued to beryllium the hottest hitter successful the postseason not named Kiké, lining a shot into the close tract country aboriginal successful the 3rd inning and stretching it to a triple erstwhile Mookie Betts mishandled it.

After an intentional walk, Joc Pederson lobbed a flare into shallow halfway field. Gavin Lux ran successful but fto it autumn successful beforehand of him for an RBI azygous alternatively than hazard a diving attempt. Urias seemed to glare retired into halfway tract aft the Braves’ 4th tally scored.

Ten times successful the 17 batters Urias faced successful the archetypal 3 innings helium got 2 strikes connected the batter. Those 10 batters deed 2 of the location runs positive Pederson’s RBI single, a Travis d’Arnaud single, Rosario’s triple and a Freeman walk.

“We had a program going into the game. Obviously they made their adjustments. They deed the shot erstwhile I made those pitches,” Urias said done an interpreter.

“It was their day.”

Urias gave up different tally successful the fifth, throwing 92 pitches successful 5 precise hard innings. But helium would not blasted the other enactment and unsettled docket of the erstwhile 12 days.

“I mean, there’s a imaginable cost. I don’t deliberation anyone knows,” Roberts said of the determination to transportation Scherzer and Urias retired of the bullpen betwixt starts. “I conscionable thought the worldly was truly good. There mightiness person been immoderate misses, which surely determination were. But I deliberation that if you’re talking astir wherever Max’s stuff, I think, was surely compromised successful his outing successful Atlanta … I conscionable didn’t spot the worldly compromised (in Game 4). I didn’t.”

Meanwhile, the Dodgers didn’t person a azygous deed to telephone their ain and Lux was robbed of a imaginable location tally by halfway fielder Duvall successful the 2nd inning.

The operation of Jesse Chavez and Drew Smyly retired the archetypal 10 Dodgers successful bid and didn’t springiness up a deed until Justin Turner’s one-out azygous successful the fifth. Their 2nd hit, a azygous by Bellinger, followed instantly and Bellinger stole 2nd basal without a propulsion – the Dodgers’ franchise-record 14th stolen basal this postseason.

Pollock came disconnected the seat and delivered a two-out, two-run single. But the Dodgers had conscionable 1 deed implicit the last 4 innings – a pinch-hit azygous by Albert Pujols successful the seventh inning. Justin Turner bounced into a treble play aft that deed and pulled up portion moving to archetypal base, evidently injured.

It was the 5th clip successful 10 postseason games that the Dodgers person produced 2 runs oregon fewer.

“Every clip I constitute the lineup retired I consciousness precise bully astir our nine and however we matchup … and what we’re going to bash that peculiar night,” Roberts said. “It conscionable hasn’t been arsenic accordant arsenic I don’t deliberation anyone expected.

“We’ve got to alteration that, and the lone mode we tin bash it is tomorrow. … Fried isn’t going to consciousness atrocious for us. He’s going to spell for the jugular. … We’ve got to find a mode to accent him, get guys connected base, and propulsion them across. That’s conscionable the bottommost line.”

The Braves enactment the crippled distant with 4 runs successful the ninth disconnected Tony Gonsolin, including Rosario’s 4th deed and 2nd location tally of the game.