Dodgers rally in eighth for first win in NLCS

LOS ANGELES — Cody Bellinger hit a tying, three-run homer and Mookie Betts then lined an RBI double as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied in the eighth inning, beating Atlanta 6-5 Tuesday and cutting the Braves’ lead in the NL Championship Series to 2-1.

The Dodgers were down to their final five outs when Bellinger drove a two-strike pitch from Luke Jackson into the right-field pavilion, igniting the blue towelwaving crowd, some of whom had already left with LA trailing 5-2.

Chris Taylor singled, stole second and moved to third on pinch-hitter Matt Beaty’s groundout. Betts followed with the double off Jesse Chavez to right-center.

Game 4 is Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers had lost all 83 previous postseason games -- in both Los Angeles and Brooklyn -- in which they trailed by three or more runs in the eighth inning or later.

But that’s history now. And with another key swing in October, Bellinger kept erasing the sting of an awful regular season.

The 2019 NL MVP, Bellinger batted a miserable .165 this year with a paltry .240 onbase percentage and 94 strikeouts in 315 atbats. He helped redeem himself last week with a tiebreaking single in the ninth inning of the decisive Game 5 of the NL Division Series against the rival Giants at San Francisco.

“Fresh start,” Bellinger said of the postseason. “At least for me this year it’s a fresh start. You know, a tough regular season but you know, I felt good towards the end of the season, and just try to continue that feel all the way through.”

“Just you know, staying simple,” he said. “Crazy things are happening.”

With the cheering, chanting crowd on its feet in the ninth, Kenley Jansen struck out the side to earn the save, the ninth pitcher used by the Dodgers. They ran through a combined 15 in the first two games.

After getting staggered with back-to-back walk-off losses in Atlanta, the Dodgers returned home, where they’ve dominated the Braves in recent years and were an MLB-best 58-23 during the regular season.

The Braves haven’t won at Dodger Stadium since June 8, 2018. It sure looked like they’d end that skid after leading 5-2 in the fifth.

But the 106-win Dodgers staged another improbable comeback late, just like they’ve done so often this postseason.

They beat St. Louis in the NL wild-card game, then edged 107-win San Francisco in the NLDS.