Sunday's Braves Report (postgame edition)
Braves survive wild Game 3
Los Angeles had the confidence.
While Brian Snitker was yanking pitchers, the Dodgers kept starter Walker Buehler in despite a 5-0 deficit, courtesy of Ronald Acuna’s second-inning grand slam.
Snitker pulled Sean Newcomb with two outs in the third after three walks, one hit, two runs, one earned. Two pitchers later, it was tied at 5.
A pitching chess match ensued, but Freddie Freeman bailed out his manager with a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth on the first pitch of reliever, UGA product, and former Brave Alex Wood and the bullpen survived issue after issue for a 6-5 win in Game 3 of the NLDS.
Game 4 is Monday at 4:30 p.m. on FS1.
Buehler struck out seven with three walks, and had only given up two hits, having thrown 77 pitches in five innings while Newcomb threw 43 – only 20 strikes – in 2.2 innings.
The Dodgers ended up using five pitchers and the Braves seven. And it got hairy for the Braves, the game ending with the Dodgers getting the first two batters in the ninth on against closer Arodys Vizcaino. He fanned Max Muncy and watched a wild pitch advance the runners, and then he struck out Manny Machado and Brian Dozier.
LA stranded nine, and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The soft Braves lineup went only 1-for-1 with runners in scoring position and left only two on base on the four-hit night.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Game story