Braves return home needing win vs LA to extend NLDS

LOS ANGELES >> The Dodgers head to Atlanta full of confidence after consecutive shutouts gave them a commanding 2-0 lead over the Braves in their National League Division Series.

Now the Braves must win the first postseason game in their new ballpark to extend their season. And they face some daunting history: only three times have teams that trailed 2-0 rallied to win a best-of-five playoff series under the 2-2-1 format.

Atlanta was outscored 9-0 and outhit 10-9 in losing the first two games at Dodger Stadium, where Los Angeles slugged five homers.

Game 3 is Sunday night at SunTrust Park, with Kevin Gausman expected to take the mound for the Braves. He was 5-3 with a 2.87 ERA in 10 starts after Atlanta acquired him from Baltimore at the July 31 trade deadline in

a six-player deal.

The Baby Braves ran into back-to-back dominant pitchers in Hyun-Jin Ryu and Clayton Kershaw in Los Angeles. Atlanta didn’t advance a runner past second base in Game 1 and twice got runners to third in Game 2, but couldn’t score.

“We need to go out there and string some hits together, a couple big innings,” shortstop Charlie Culberson said.

They might be hardpressed to do that against rookie Walker Buehler, who starts Game 3 for the Dodgers having drawn comparisons to ace Kershaw.

“Obviously, it’s a big spot,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said, “but he continues to kind of surpass all expectations.”

Buehler, a 24-year-old right-hander, last pitched on Monday, allowing one hit in 6 2/3 innings and striking out three in the NL West tiebreaker victory over the Rockies.

“I kind of look at it as like a baby step,” Buehler said about having pitched in a crucial regular-season Game 163. “Obviously, this will be my first playoff game. But 163 has got to be somewhere between a regular game and a playoff game. I’m just kind of going with the same game plan and try and stay under control.”

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker acknowledged he can’t do much more than juggle his lineup because the Braves’ bench is thin.

CURTIS COMPTON/ ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION VIA AP Atlanta Braves base runner Ronald Acuna walks off the field after the final out in a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of a baseball National League Division Series, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018, in Los Angeles.