The NLDS will continue on Monday after the Atlanta Braves delivered a 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 to avoid elimination.
Held scoreless for the first 19 innings of the series, the Braves finally broke through in the second against Walker Buehler. Nick Markakis worked a leadoff walk to get things started. That walk was the first by Atlanta hitter in the series. Buehler answered right back and struck out Johan Camargo and Kurt Suzuki.
Ozzie Albies followed with a soft single to center. Cody Bellinger misplayed the ball in the outfield and both runners were able to move up 90 feet to second and third. After an intentional walk to Charlie Culberson that loaded the bases, Buehler lost the strike zone against Sean Newcomb and walked him on four pitches to give Atlanta their first run and lead of the series.
That would bring Ronald Acuna Jr. to the plate who would work a 3-1 count and then absolutely destroy a fastball into the left field stands for a grand slam to increase the lead to 5-0.
The Dodgers would start to chip away from there. Newcomb issued a leadoff walk to Kike Hernandez before retiring Yasmani Grandal with a fly out. Hernandez moved up to second on a sacrifice by Buehler before Newcomb walked Chris Taylor. That would be the end of the line for Newcomb who was replaced by Kevin Gausman. Gausman then gave up a single to left by Justin Turner that scored Hernandez. Acuna misplayed the ball in left and Taylor was able to come all the way around and score from first to make it 5-2.
Los Angeles would strike again in the fifth and again a leadoff walk would prove costly. Grandal worked a free pass from Gausman. After a Buehler strikeout, Taylor launched a two-run home run to left to make it 5-4. Brian Snitker would replace Gausman with Max Fried who hung a curveball to Max Muncy for a solo bomb that tied the game. Fried was able to get Manny Machado to fly out to end the inning but we had a new ball game.
The Dodgers missed an opportunity in the sixth. Touki Toussaint gave up a ground rule double to Matt Kemp to lead off the inning. Kemp moved up to third on a ground out and then was thrown out at the plate by Charlie Culberson on a ground ball off the bat of Hernandez.
The score would remain tied until the sixth when Freddie Freeman jumped on the first pitch he saw from former Brave Alex Wood and drove it out to right to put the Braves back in front.
A.J. Minter allowed two base runners in the eighth but got Yasiel Puig to ground out with no damage. Arodys Vizcaino allowed a leadoff single to Joc Pederson and a walk to Justin Turner in the ninth but came back to strike out Max Muncy, Manny Machado and Brian Dozier to end the game.
The Braves push the series to a Game 4 on Monday. This isn’t over yet.