Braves Wake Up Late To Even Series, Dodgers Don't

So much handwringing. The postseason format is terrible! How can this be! Why play the regular season if this is what’s going to happen? On and on it went as the Phillies took a 4-0 lead on the Braves in Game 2 of their Division Series. On and on it went with Zack Wheeler on the mound for Philadelphia striking out everyone and not allowing a hit.

But the Braves did what the Braves do and now orders been restored, we can only hope. There’s still a chance we’ll hear more kvetching because the Dodgers are now down 0-2 to the Diamondbacks. But, frankly, the Diamondbacks have outplayed the Dodgers in every aspect of the game and more than deserve to be up 2-0 heading home for Game 3.

Braves win on dingers and defense, head to Philly tied 1-1

Even if you’re just a casual baseball fans—and if you’re reading this, you probably play closer attention—you’ve no doubt seen the insane double play the Braves turned to end the game and seal their 5-4 win. I’ve watched the replay 10 times and find new things to marvel out every time.

Nick Castellanos hit a ball to right center field that looked off the bat like a sure gapper. Bryce Harper, who was on first base after a walk, certainly thought so. Braves center fielder Michael Harris III ran a long, long way to make the catch. Let’s be precise. According to Statcast, Harris ran 92 feet in 5.4 seconds just to get to the wall. Then Harris made a perfectly timed leap to catch the ball.

Harris kept his composure and let go a strong relay throw back to the infield as Harper—who had rounded second heading to third—tried to get back to first base. Ozzie Albies was the cut-off man. But the ball skips by Albies. Or does it?

Did Albies see Austin Riley cutting across the diamond and let the ball get to Riley? Or did Albies miss the off-target throw only to find Riley running across the infield grass from third base? Either way, Riley positioned himself perfectly and then picked up the ball with his bare hand and threw a dart to first baseman Matt Olson to double up Harper at first base.

It was a one-of-a-kind ending to a classic game. Literally. The Braves turned the first 8-5-3 double play in MLB postseason history.

The game started in record-setting fashion, too. Phillies starter Zack Wheeler struck out the first 6 batters he faced, becoming the first pitcher in MLB history to record six strikeouts and give up 0 hits in the first 2 innings of a postseason game. Wheeler took a no-hit bid into the 6th inning. With two outs, Wheeler walked Ronald Acuña Jr.. Albies then hit a single right—the first hit for the Braves—and Acuña scored when Trea Turner bobbled the relay throw. That made the score 4-1 Phillies.

The Braves cut the Phillies lead to 4-3 in the 7th when Matt Olson singled and Travis D’Arnaud hit a one-out home run on Wheeler’s first pitch—a sweeper that caught way too much of the plate. This is the one pitch Wheeler truly wishes he can have back. This is the pitch that turned the game around.

Atlanta took the lead in the 8th when—who else—Acuña was hit by the first pitch thrown by Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman. After Albies grounded out, Riley hit a two-run home run over the wall in left center field. Hoffman’s 3-2 pitch came across the plate at the bottom of the strike zone. Riley put the ball in the seats and gave the Braves the lead.

Then the insane double play in the 9th.

Game 3 will be played Wednesday at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia at 5:07 pm EDT/2:07 pm PDT (TBS). Aaron Nola will start for the Phillies. The Braves have not yet announced a starter.

Diamondbacks score early and hold on for 2-0 series lead over Dodgers

As my friend Molly Knight wrote after Game 1 of this series, the rest of the world is now finding out that the Dodgers’ rotation has been an absolute mess all season. Yet they still won 100 games. How? With an overpowering offense, an excellent bullpen, and the flexibility over a 162-game season to mix and match against their opposing team’s pitchers.

In a short series, those advantages slip away when your offense stalls out against the aces on the opposing team. The Dodgers had losing records this season against some of the best MLB teams—the Tampa Bay Rays, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Braves—and had .500 records against the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets. The Dodgers lost games to MLB’s top pitchers in 2023: Justin Steele (Cubs), Mitch Keller (Pirates), Yu Darvish (Padres), Freddy Peralta (Brewers), Sandy Alcantara (Marlins), and Spencer Strider and Max Fried (Braves).

In the Division Series, the Dodgers ran into Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen pitching at the top of their game. Kelly shut down Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in Game 1 and Gallen shut them down in Game 2. If Betts and Freeman aren’t getting on base, the Dodgers aren’t scoring runs. It’s that simple.

Rookie starter Bobby Miller gave up 3 runs to the Diamondbacks in the first inning last night. Not great, but not as big a hole as Clayton Kershaw dug in Game 1. Still, Miller was shaky and manager Dave Roberts pulled him in the 2nd inning to stop the bleeding. And it worked. Dodgers relievers Brusdar Graterol, Ryan Brasier, Joe Kelly, and Evan Phillips shut the D’Backs down over 7 1/3 innings, save for a solo home run by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. that put Arizona up 4-2. That was the final score.

Game 3 will be played at Chase Field in Phoenix on Wednesday at 9:07 pm EDT/6:07 PDT (TBS). The Dodgers will turn to veteran starter Lance Lynn to save their season. Rookie Brandon Pfaadt will start for the D’Backs.