Braves explode in sixth to put Dodgers on ropes
ARLINGTON, Texas — Marcell Ozuna homered twice, MVP candidate Freddie Freeman delivered the go- ahead hit off Clayton Kershaw in the sixth inning, and the Braves moved within one win of ending a two- decade World Series drought by routing the Dodgers 10- 2 on Thursday night.
The Braves took a 3- 1 lead in the National League Championship Series, bouncing back from getting pounded 15- 3 the previous night. They’ll try to reach their first World Series since 1999 when they play Game 5 on Friday.
Ozuna had four hits and drove in four runs. It was 1- 1 in the sixth before the Braves scored six times, with Freeman hitting a tiebreaking double and Ozuna following with an RBI double that chased Kershaw.
A night after the Dodgers had a record 11run first inning, they managed only one hit — a solo homer by Edwin Rios — over six innings against 22- year- old rookie right- hander Bryse Wilson in his postseason debut.
The Braves’ outburst wasn’t quite as big as the Dodgers’ a day earlier, but it was more than big enough after Ronald Acuna Jr. led off the sixth with an infield single on a play that ended with him, Kershaw and second baseman Enrique Hernandez all on the ground. Kershaw fell after coming off the mound while reaching up to try to field the high chopper. Hernandez went to the ground after grabbing the ball and making a sidearm throw then went wide. And Acuna tumbled after passing the base and landed awkwardly on his left wrist, which was irritated twice during the regular season. Acuna went to second because of the errant throw after being tended to for several moments.
After trying glasses in the field and getting eyedrops early in the game, Freeman apparently had no problems seeing when he doubled home Acuna for a 2- 1 lead before Ozuna followed with another double. Reliever Brusdar Graterol got the first out before giving up three consecutive hits, including Dansby Swanson’s two- run double and Austin Riley’s RBI single. Rookie Cristian Pache capped the inning with an RBI single that made it 7- 1.
Freeman and Ozuna each added RBI singles in the eighth.
The Braves had gotten even 1- 1 in the fourth when Ozuna turned an 86 mph slider from Kershaw into a 109 mph rocket that went 422 feet to left for his second postseason homer. Ozuna went even deeper in the seventh, a 434- foot shot to center.
Wilson became the third- youngest pitcher to allow one or no hits over at least six innings in a postseason game. The right- hander struck out five and walked one.