After Historic Win, Dodgers Turn to Clayton Series to Even NLCS
The Dodgers flexed some muscle last night. They beat the living daylights out of the Braves is what they did. With an 11-run first inning -- a postseason record for runs in an inning -- Los Angeles notched a 15-3 win in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series Tuesday, and now have the momentum clearly on their side.
But it’s only one game and Atlanta still leads the series two games to one. Fifteen runs on 16 hits, with home runs by Muncy (his second in as many nights), Joc Pederson, Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager is nice. Lovely, actually, as is the fact that Bellinger, Muncy, and perhaps most importantly Pederson -- who has morphed back into his regular October self -- are all raking together for the first time in 2020.
That's all great, but L.A. has to build on what they’ve accomplished and win again tonight. They have to beat what is a thoroughly inferior Braves starting pitcher in Bryse Wilson (see tweet below) and a staff that’s primed to be smacked around again.
And Clayton Kershaw has to come through in Game 4 tonight. He just has to.
You know how this goes. Kershaw has never had a postseason of more than one round without a meltdown. He’s pitched well in three straight October starts just once in his career, in 2013, and followed that little hot streak up by allowing 10 hits and seven runs in his next outing, to the Cardinals in the NLCS Game 6 clincher that year.
Kershaw's postseason performances have historically been more troublesome with each successive series (4.02 in the NLDS, 4.61 in the NLCS and 5.40 in the World Series). A bit more detail here. The Dodgers can probably afford one clunker from Kershaw this October, but it can’t be tonight. They can't go down three games to one following last night's triumph. They need to even the series and build on that momentum.
And Kersh has to give them four or five average-to good-frames. Six, if at all possible. He doesn't necessarily have to be spectacular, nor super-fine, and he doesn't even need to lower his 4.23 postseason ERA, but he does need to provide a performance that his teammates can make work for them. Two, three or even four runs allowed, in four, five or six innings is workable.
There are times when it pays to be the visitors and bat first. That was certainly the case Tuesday, and it may well be tonight. Los Angeles can get to Wilson and make that Atlanta bullpen scurry. They simply need Kershaw to come through to some degree. His mates will take it from there.
And remember, glove conquers all.
Howard Cole has been writing about baseball on the internet since Y2K. Follow him on Twitter.
Video courtesy of Spectrum SportsNetLA/Los Angeles Dodgers.
