Three innings after making perhaps the most spectacular defensive play of the entire playoffs, Cody Bellinger delivered a single that plated Manny Machado, sealing a 2-1 victory for the Dodgers and tying the NLCS at two games apiece.
“I noticed he was trying to attack me, so I just tried to make contact and put the ball in play,” Bellinger told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports seconds after being drowned in Gatorade in the postgame.
With one out in the 13th, Machado stroked a single to left fielder Ryan Braun. Consequently, second baseman Brian Dozier popped out to Mike Moustakas in foul territory, but Machado later advanced to third on a wild pitch by Milwaukee swing man Junior Guerra. Machado eventually used every ounce of his quickness to score from second on Bellinger’s single.
In it’s entirety, the game lasted five hours and fifteen minutes.
Rich Hill was relatively strong in five full innings of work, allowing just one run on three hits and three walks while striking out six. The run he surrendered resulted on a pinch-hit double by Domingo Santana, affording Orlando Arcia to score. That run tied the game after Chris Taylor scored on a Brian Dozier single to left in the bottom of the first.
Although Milwaukee lefty Gio Gonzalez exited the game after the first inning, the Brewers still only used just seven pitchers compared to the Dodgers’ nine, which could play large in the subsequent games.
Julio Urias registered the win for the Dodgers and was the final relief pitcher available out of the Los Angeles bullpen. As impressive as Urias was, even more impressive was closer Kenley Jansen. Jansen didn’t throw a six-out stint since early May, but he looked as strong as he has all year in the ninth and tenth innings on Tuesday night.
After the game, skipper Dave Roberts said he would have hoped to get “maybe three” innings from Urias, later explaining that he had just instructed lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu, who is anticipated to start Game 6, to head to the bullpen and get loose.
Flamethrowing lefty Josh Hader threw a perfect eighth inning for the Brewers, one inning after Joakim Soria tossed a hitless seventh. Freddy Peralta pitched three perfect innings following Gonzalez, and Corbin Burnes followed him with two hitless innings of his own.
There was a bit of controversy in the 10th inning when Machado drug his left foot after tagging first base, catching the ankle of Milwaukee first baseman Jesus Aguilar and causing a bit of a tussle. Both benches emptied, but the confrontation was mild, to say the least.
With the series tied at two, both clubs will take the field early on Wednesday for Game 5, as first pitch is scheduled for 2:05 PM Los Angeles time. Clayton Kershaw will take the bump for the Dodgers, opposing Brewers’ lefty Wade Miley.