Dodgers beat Braves to force NLCS Game 7
ARLINGTON, Texas — Corey Seager's sweet swing. Walker Buehler's calm. Kenley Jansen's resurgence.
The Los Angeles Dodgers got what they needed — again.
“We did what we had to do to force a Game 7,” Justin Turner said.
They sure did. Seager homered again, Buehler pitched six scoreless innings and the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Saturday to send the NL Championship Series to a winner-take-all finale.
Los Angeles avoided elimination for the second time in less than 24 hours, staying alive in its pursuit of a third pennant in four years. It hasn't won a championship since 1988.
“I'm still sort of recovering from this one, but already thinking about Game 7,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “That's what you live for.”
Turner also homered for Los Angeles, and Jansen threw a six-pitch ninth for his 18th career postseason save.
The NL West and East champions play again Sunday night, with the potential for two rookie starters in a Game 7 for the first time in big league history.
Roberts was keeping his options open for his starting pitcher while the Braves plan to go with rookie righthander Ian Anderson, who has thrown 15 2/3 scoreless innings in his three postseason starts. Tony Gonsolin and three-time NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw are among the possibilities for Los Angeles.
“Shoot, we'll go out there and let ‘er fly. A Game 7 is another baseball game,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “You have to treat it as such.”
The Braves were hoping to celebrate Snitker's 65th birthday Saturday with the franchise's first World Series berth since 1999. But Max Fried took his first loss all year, working into the seventh inning after surrendering three runs during a rocky first.
Buehler, using Stan's Rodeo Ointment to deal with bothersome blisters, threw 65 of his 89 pitches for strikes. He allowed seven hits while striking out six without a walk.
After Atlanta loaded the bases with three singles in a row to start the top of second — the last hit by his Vanderbilt roommate Dansby Swanson — the right-hander really brought the heat, with 10 consecutive fastballs to get out of the jam.