Gonsolin has hard debut for Dodgers in NLCS
Vacaville High graduate takes the loss for Dodgers
It was too little. It might not be too late.
Down 7- 0 after six innings on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field, the Dodgers looked like they would become the Atlanta Braves’ fifth shutout victimin seven postseason games.
The Dodgers avoided that fate with a seventh-inning three-run home run by Corey Seager and then fought back within a run before losing 8-7 to the Braves in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series — as life-affirming a loss if ever therewas one.
Nonetheless, the Dodgers are down 0-2 in the best- of-seven series. It is the third time during their current run of eight consecutive postseason appearances
that they have lost the first two games of a series. The other two— the 2018World Series against the Boston Red Sox and 2013 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals — each ended badly for the Dodgers.
Freddie Freeman is likely to collect the National League MVP award for the 2020 season next month. He hit a home run for the second consecutive game and drove in three runs as the Braves built their big lead. The two MVP winners in the Dodgers’ lineup— Mookie Betts (the American League MVP in 2018) and Cody Bellinger (the NL MVP last season) — were a combined 0 for 13 in this series before rousing from their slumber in a threerun ninth.
They aren’t alone in taking the collar against Braves’ pitching. As a team, the Dodgers have hit .209 (14 for 67) — with four of those hits coming in the ninth inning of Game 2.
They were not completely toothless against Braves rookie right-hander Ian Anderson on Tuesday. They drew five walks off him in the first four innings, had runners at first and second with two outs in the first inning and the bases loaded in the third.
Nothing came of any of it, thanks in part to an outstanding play by Braves third baseman Austin Riley on Will Smith’s bullet in the first inning. Nothing came of Chris Taylor’s 400-foot drive to center field, 103 mph off the bat, to lead off the third inning either. Ronald Acuña Jr. flagged it down at the wall.
The Dodgers had to content themselves with working Anderson’s pitch count up high enough (85) to get into the Braves’ bullpen early.
That has not been the
reward the Dodgers hoped it would be. It did pay off in Game 2 — eventually.
The Dodgers were down 7- 0 by the time Seager struck his three-run shot off Braves’ lefty A. J. Minter. His double drove in Betts with another run in the ninth. Max Muncy followed with a two-run home run and Will Smith reached on an error.
When Bellinger tripled into the right-field corner, Smith scored and the tying run was stunningly just 90 feet from scoring. AJ Pollock grounded out to end the game.
Tabbed to start Game 2 when Clayton Kershaw had to be scratched due to back spasms, Tony Gonsolin was perfect through the first three innings — and very imperfect after that. Just as he had against Walker Buehler in the first inning of Game 1, Freeman took an inside fastball and rifled it into the right field seats. The two-run home run put the Braves on top to stay. They have scored first in each of their seven games this postseason. But they weren’t done.
The Braves scored four times in the fifth inning,
chasing Gonsolin from the game and piling on against Pedro Baez. Gonsolin and Baez tied an LCS record by issuing four walks in the inning (including one by Baez with the bases loaded). Freeman ripped an RBI single off Baez after Dodgersmanager Dave Roberts brought the righthanded Baez in to face him.
The Braves added a run off Alex Wood in the seventh and then capped the night with their new postseason tradition — a home run by Ozzie Albies caught by Mark Melancon as he warmed up in the Braves’ bullpen.
As a senior at Vacaville High, Gonsolin played shortstop and pitched for the 2012 Bulldogs. They tied for first with Napa in the Monticello Empire League with a 13-2 record, losing to Davis 2-1 in the finals of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs. He also played for the 2011 squad that tied Armijo for theMEL title with a record of 12-3.
Gonsolin hit .370 with 26 runs, 19 RBIs and seven triples his senior year. He went 4-1 on themound that year with a 2.60 ERA.
Gonsolin went on to
star for St. Mary’s College in Moraga, where he both pitched and played right field.
The Dodgers selected Gonsolin in the ninth round of the June 2016MLBdraft. SAN DIEGO » Tampa Bay scored five runs in the top of the sixth inning and held a 5-2 lead going into the ninth at press time. Tampa Bay was looking to take a commanding 3- 0 series lead in the American League Championship Series.
The Rays made several defensive plays that saved runs, getting diving catches from Kevin Keirmaier and Hunter Renfroe in the third and seventh innings, respectively.
Renfroe made another diving catch after Houston loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth.
Houston took the lead on a solo shot by Jose Altuve in the first inning then answered Tampa’s five-run outburst in the sixth with a solo homer by Michael Brantley in the bottom of the inning.