IN SPORTS: DODGERS STUNNED IN GAME 5
LOS ANGELES — The fans remaining at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night, the loyal ones who had stuck around to witness the stunning end of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ season, booed Dave Roberts when he finally emerged from the dugout in the 10th inning. They echoed their feelings on his walk back after the manager finally took the ball from Joe Kelly and gave it to Kenley Jansen.
It was all too late to salvage the Dodgers from elimination. The irreparable damage was done. Howie Kendrick had already smashed a fastball from the erratic Kelly over the center-field wall 410 feet away for a spinecracking grand slam while Jansen, the reliever the Dodgers entrusted in those moments for the entire decade, watched from the Dodgers dugout, warm and ready to go.
It was the second bullpen collapse in the Dodgers’ 7-3, season-ending loss to the Washington Nationals in a decisive Game 5 of the National League Division Series. The first happened two innings earlier when Clayton Kershaw, summoned to pitch in relief, allowed two solo home runs on three pitches to squander the Dodgers’ lead.
The Dodgers’ game plan in this series was to wait out the Nationals’ vaunted starting pitchers and exploit their dismal bullpen. On Wednesday, the Nationals, the heavy underdogs in the series, used the blueprint to topple the Dodgers.
The bullpen performance spoiled a sparkling six-inning effort from Walker Buehler and sent the Dodgers to their earliest exit since 2015 while the Nationals advanced to the National League Championship Series for the first time.
Kershaw, the Dodgers’ Game 2 starter, entered in relief, and didn’t waste time. Kershaw
struck out Adam Eaton with three pitches, finishing him off with an 89-mph slider he swung through. Kershaw released a roar. His next three pitches offered different results.
The first was a curveball to Anthony Rendon below the zone to start the eighth inning. The next was another pitch below the zone, this time a fastball, that Rendon golfed into the left field pavilion. The next was a slider up in the zone to Juan Soto. The 20-year-old wunderkind smashed it into the other pavilion. Kershaw crouched when the loud contact was made. He didn't bother to look. Moments later, he handed the ball to Roberts and walked off the field to boos. He took a seat on the bench by himself.
Cardinals bury Braves with 10-run first; clinch NLDS in 13-1 romp
ATLANTA — The Cardinals had qualified for 13 National League Championship Series before Wednesday night. And then they scored 13 runs, a postseason record 10 of them in the first inning, as they punched their ticket for a 14th LCS by dismantling the Atlanta Braves 131 to win the decisive fifth game in the National League Division Series.
The best-of-seven NLCS will start on Friday just after 7 o’clock Central time either at Los Angeles with the Cardinals against the Dodgers or against Washington at Busch Stadium, depending on the outcome of that division series later Wednesday.
The Cardinals did something in the first inning that they hadn’t done last week in seven innings against Atlanta starter Mike Foltynewicz. They scored. And scored. And scored some more against the slider-throwing Foltynewicz and his relief as Tommy Edman, Dexter Fowler and Kolten Wong all delivered two-run doubles.