Whicker: Insults, injuries push Dodgers to end of very thin rope in NLCS

So they got to the seventh inning of Game 4 the mode they got to the eighth inning of Game 3.

The Dodgers trailed the Braves by 3 runs. Big deal. They inactive had their puncher’s chance.

How fearsome are the precocious innings astatine Dodger Stadium? Only 4 visiting pitchers person nailed down a prevention since the All-Star break, nary since Aug. 27.

On Tuesday, successful beforehand of a sullen and emptying ballpark, Cody Bellinger deed a game-tying, three-run location tally erstwhile the cue paper told him to.

But Wednesday was antithetic from Tuesday, conscionable arsenic 2021 is antithetic from 2020.

Albert Pujols came retired of the dugout to slap a left-handed mistake into near field. But helium was lone astatine archetypal basal agelong capable to accidental hullo to Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman, and helium gave mode to pinch-runner Walker Buehler, the aforesaid feline who pitched Game 3. Funny however the Dodgers tally retired of players quicker than they utilized to.

Then Justin Turner, the tract general, came to the plate. Slumping and banged-up, helium had singled and scored successful the fifth. But present helium banged a crushed shot to Ozzie Albies, who scrambled to get to 2nd for a unit and past relaxed and lobbed to archetypal for the treble play.

No request to rush. The 36-year-old Turner seemingly had popped his weakened hamstring connected the mode to first. There was nary disguising this, nary walking it off, nary stiff-upper-lipping.

Pujols had to assistance Turner backmost to the dugout. A statue had fallen.

Bellinger was next. There were 2 outs successful the inning, but that lone meant determination were 7 outs left, a agelong locomotion implicit breached solid for astir bullpens. Bellinger drove it hard disconnected A.J. Minter, but halfway fielder Adam Duvall got backmost to the way and caught it, 5 innings aft helium had skied to instrumentality down Gavin Lux’s location tally bid astatine the apical of the fence, erstwhile it would person mattered greatly.

The balloon collapsed. No different Dodger reached base, and Eddie Rosario continued to show the little-known information that helium is the Greatest Player In The Game Today, with a location tally connected apical of his location tally and his triple and his single.

Braves 9, Dodgers 2, and a 3-1 pb successful the National League Championship Series. The Dodgers’ demise is not official, but the symbols of it were there.

“Every clip I constitute down the lineup I consciousness bully astir our club,” Manager Dave Roberts said, “and however we lucifer up, but it conscionable hasn’t been arsenic accordant arsenic I deliberation everyone expected.”

For 1 thing, this was a “bullpen game” for Atlanta. That bullpen had burped up the past 4 games it had played astatine Dodger Stadium. But it was besides a misnomer due to the fact that Drew Smyly started 23 times for the Braves this twelvemonth and has pitched successful 7 postseason games. He is besides the benignant of snake-charming lefty that annoys the Dodgers. He followed Jesse Chavez’s cleanable archetypal inning with 3 hitless innings. By the clip helium needed to leave, Atlanta led 5-0.

That was due to the fact that Julio Urias was nary much of a enigma to the Braves than helium was Sunday. He has faced 31 Atlanta hitters and fixed up 11 hits, with 7 earned runs successful six innings, and Rosario, Duvall and Freeman each took him deep.

When halfway fielder Lux watched Duvall’s RBI azygous onshore successful beforehand of him, Urias dispersed his arms plaintively, but Lux could person replied by pointing astatine the seats.

You and the TBS unit aren’t the lone ones who don’t recognize however oregon wherefore the Dodgers eroded their ain vantage successful starting pitching. But their alleviation borderline was expected to beryllium adjacent bigger. Helpfully, Rosario’s ninth-inning location tally landed successful the Braves’ bullpen, conscionable to driblet a hint.

Rosario didn’t travel disconnected a loading dock, to beryllium sure. He has been a apical 20 MVP vote-getter twice, and helium drove successful 109 runs for the Minnesota Twins successful 2019. He besides has 133 vocation homers.

He struggled for a mates of years, ended up with Cleveland, and was wounded erstwhile the Braves traded Pablo Sandoval for him. This four-hit crippled was his 2nd successful the aforesaid playoff series, which lone Milwaukee’s Robin Yount had ever done (1982 World Series) before, and helium acceptable the Braves’ postseason grounds for full bases successful a game.

“I liked the walk-off (in Game 2) better,” helium said, “but this was awesome, too.”

No playoff time oregon play is the same. The Dodgers ever said that, conscionable due to the fact that it sounded right. As they watched their large member limp and their agelong balls fade, they appeared to yet recognize it.