Braves take Game 2, even NLDS against Dodgers

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers had two home runs, a ninth-inning rally that briefly brought the crowd back to life and plenty of chances to change the game.

What they didn't have was the big hit.

The Braves defeated the Dodgers 3-2 on Sunday night at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium, evening the National League Division Series at one game apiece and sending the series east with the Dodgers facing a suddenly more urgent trip to Atlanta.

The Dodgers went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base through the first seven innings. Its only runs came on solo home runs, Freddie Freeman's game-tying blast in the fourth inning and Max Muncy's two-out homer in the ninth.

“Gotta find a way to score some runs without hitting a home run; that's our biggest thing right now,” Freeman said after going 2-for-4 with his first homer of the postseason.

Freeman's home run, which came against his former team, was the kind of October moment the Dodgers needed. It was his 17th career postseason homer, including nine with Atlanta, and his first home run since Sept. 2.

But it wasn't enough.

The Braves consistently found ways to manufacture runs while the Dodgers struggled to cash in their opportunities.

Atlanta struck first in the opening inning when Mauricio Dubón beat out an infield single, bringing home the game's first run with the bases loaded.

Blake Snell never looked completely comfortable after that.

The Dodgers' Game 2 starter battled his command throughout his outing, walking five while throwing 90 pitches in just 3⅔ innings. He allowed three hits and one run while striking out five, but the pitch count forced Dave Roberts to turn to his bullpen earlier than he would have preferred.

Snell's final line: 3⅔ innings, three hits, one run, five walks and five strikeouts.

Roberts said there were no concerns about Snell entering the start.

“Not at all,” Roberts said. “I thought that he wasn't that sharp in San Francisco, but we got him out of it, felt great coming out of that outing. He had an inning this past week, felt great. Then going into the start, there were no concerns.”

The issue Sunday, Roberts said, was Snell's delivery and command.

“He just was fighting himself with his delivery all game,” Roberts said. “I think the fastball was really good. The change-up was good at times. I think in total didn't have fastball command, didn't have slider command, and the change-up wasn't there. He was pulling it. I think that just overall it wasn't the groin. He just wasn't sharp tonight.”

Snell was pulled after a two-out walk put two runners aboard in the fourth. Brock Stewart entered to face Ronald Acuña Jr. and helped the Dodgers escape the inning without further damage.

Snell was not available to the media after the game because of a family matter, according to a source.

The Dodgers' offense finally answered in the bottom of the fourth.

Freeman got a pitch he could handle and sent it over the wall, tying the game at 1.

It was another October reminder of why Freeman has been so important to the Dodgers since arriving in Los Angeles and why facing his former club adds another layer to every big moment.

But Atlanta kept applying pressure.

In the fifth, Kris Bubic entered and quickly recorded two outs. Then Michael Harris II lined a ball into left field that got past Teoscar Hernández, allowing Harris to race all the way to third for a two-out triple.

Bubic then threw a wild pitch, allowing Harris to score.

A two-out triple. A defensive misplay. A wild pitch.

A self-inflicted inning put Atlanta back in front, 2-1.

Harris would hurt the Dodgers again in the seventh.

In his first game action since Sept. 13, Edgardo Henriquez allowed a one-out single to Matt Olson. With two outs, Harris lined a double that one-hopped the wall in right-center, bringing Olson home and extending Atlanta's lead to 3-1.

Harris finished with two extra-base hits and drove in two of Atlanta's three runs.

The Braves, meanwhile, got exactly what they wanted from their pitching staff.

Didier Fuentes worked 3 ⅔ innings late in the game, allowing one hit, Muncy's ninth-inning home run.

Roberts said the game offered a clear indication of how Atlanta intends to approach the rest of the series.

“I think it showed that they're going to use any pitcher, try to get every matchup possible,” Roberts said. “Obviously them pushing Fuentes to four, almost four innings, 40-something pitches, shows they're going to ride certain guys, and obviously they use their bullpen accordingly.”

And the Braves aren't simply relying on pitching.

“It's a good team offensively. They're going to fight. Harris is swinging a good bat. We knew it was going to be a battle. So we knew those guys weren't going to go down,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers had one final opportunity in the ninth. Muncy, who came off the bench in the fourth inning, launched a solo homer with two outs to pull the Dodgers within one.

Suddenly, Dodger Stadium was alive again. But the comeback stopped there.

Roberts sent Josue De Paula to the plate as a pinch-hitter, hoping to keep the inning alive. Instead, De Paula popped up in front of the Dodgers dugout for the final out.

Roberts praised Muncy for the way he handled his role despite not starting.

“He's a big-time player. He's an all-time Dodger leader in postseason homers, came off the bench tonight willingly, being a great teammate,” Roberts said. “Miggy gets a big hit, don't cash that one in with the leadoff double.”

Muncy's homer gave the Dodgers their final chance, but the larger problem remained: The Dodgers couldn't turn its baserunners into runs.

That problem was particularly evident with Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani went 1-for-4, with his lone hit coming in the fifth inning. Otherwise, he struggled to stay within the strike zone, chasing pitches that Roberts felt were outside the area where Ohtani can do the most damage.

“There's a lot of chase,” Roberts said. “It's hard to square up, put good swings on balls that are out of the zone. That's kind of what it boils down to.”

Roberts said Atlanta starter Chris Sale will present another challenge because of his velocity and the way his pitches can move from strikes to balls.

The message for Ohtani is simple: get back into the hitting zone.

“I think that it's like, it's hard to square up, put good swings on balls that are out of the zone,” Roberts said. “Certainly Sale is going to be tough because there's a lot of strike to ball, it's high velocity. But just trying to get him back in the hitting zone.”

There was no concern about Ohtani's health, Roberts said, and he will remain in the lineup for Game 3.

“I haven't heard anything other than he feels fine,” Roberts said.

For all the Dodgers' offensive star power, Game 2 ultimately came down to execution.

Atlanta scored three runs without needing a dominant offensive explosion. The Dodgers scored twice despite having chances to produce more and finished the night without a single hit with a runner in scoring position.

The Braves were opportunistic. The Dodgers were not. And now the series heads to Atlanta tied.

The Dodgers will travel east for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday. If necessary, Game 5 will return to Dodger Stadium on Friday.