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Braves take 3-1 series lead
For the second straight year, the Braves are taking on the Dodgers in the NLCS. Last summer, they won the first two games in close ones before faltering in Game Three and recovering in Game Four to take a commanding series lead. Of course, we know L.A. came back to win that series and then ultimately win the World Series. So far, this year’s NLCS is looking awfully familiar, with the Braves keeping the same pace through four games.
They entered Wednesday’s game with a 2-1 series lead, but the Dodgers were at home and had won on Tuesday to pull to within a game. The Braves, going with essentially a bullpen game here, were looking to get some early momentum. Eddie Rosario has been the series MVP so far for Atlanta, and he got the offense going with a solo homer in the second to kick off the scoring. The Braves scored two in that second inning, and followed it up with two more in the third to take an early 4-0 lead.
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A few innings later they’d tack on one more to make it a commanding 5-0 lead and put the Dodgers’ backs against the wall. L.A., to their credit, did answer with two in the fifth to pull to within three, but Rosario would hit his second homer of the night in the ninth as part of a four-run inning, and the Braves pulled away with what ended up being a 9-2 win. They go up 3-1 in the NLCS for a second straight year, and look to finish things off on Thursday in Game Five.
Jeter Downs keeps mashing in Arizona
Jeter Downs was one of the big stories of the Red Sox minor-league season for all the wrong reasons as he just never was really able to get going at Triple-A save for some momentum at the end of the year. Well that momentum has kept up and he’s been one of the big stories in Arizona for all the right reasons. He kept his hot streak going on Wednesday with his third homer of his run in the desert, and adding a single and a walk his OPS is up to 1.550. Also playing among Red Sox prospects were Kole Cottam and Christian Koss. The former had a double and a walk while the latter finished with two singles, knocking in three runs. On the pitching side, Josh Winckowski struggled to the tune of three runs over 1 2⁄3 innings, giving up a couple of doubles, a single, two walks, and no strikeouts. Andrew Politi had a better day with a scoreless inning that included just a walk with no strikeouts.