It’s a sweep
Bellinger, Dodgers beat Diamondbacks to return to NLCS
PHOENIX — Led by a big Japanese right-hander and a rookie from just down the road, the Los Angeles Dodgers are headed back to the NL Championship Series.
Cody Bellinger homered, drove in two runs and flipped over a dugout railing to steal an out for a dominant Yu Darvish, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1 Monday night to finish a three-game sweep in their NL Division Series.
Darvish, acquired from Texas in a trade deadline deal, struck out seven over five innings to outpitch Arizona’s Zack Greinke and earn the righty his first postseason victory in three tries.
Four Los Angeles relievers combined to preserve a three-hitter. Kenley Jansen worked around a single by David Peralta for a threeout save, striking out Paul Goldschmidt to end it. Only four batters reached base all night for the Diamondbacks, including Daniel Descalso with a homer.
The Dodgers, who won 104 games for the best record in baseball and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, face the winner of the Nationals-Cubs series in the NLCS. Los Angeles lost there to World Series champion Chicago last year.
Bellinger — from nearby Chandler, Arizona — hit his homer in the fifth, then made a daring catch to end the bottom of the inning. The rookie first baseman fell into the Dodgers dugout as he snagged Jeff Mathis’ popup, nearly dropping into the lap of manager Dave Roberts.
The 22-year-old Bellinger is the youngest Dodger ever to homer in the postseason — he’s 75 days younger than Corey Seager was when he set the mark last fall. He was just 1 for 12 with five strikeouts in his first postseason before hitting Greinke’s 3-1 pitch