Eric Overjoyed/Associated Press
Shortstop Corey Seager hit a pair of home runs and catcher Will Smith hit a mosey-forward three-bustle homer in the sixth inning because the Los Angeles Dodgers held off playoff elimination with a 7-3 arrangement shut over the Atlanta Braves in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series on Friday.
Atlanta leads the suitable-of-seven matchup three video games to 2.
The Dodgers trailed 2-0 in the fourth outdated to Seager launched his first homer to halve the deficit:
Smith strolled to the dish with two on and two out in the sixth against a Braves southpaw also named Will Smith, and the hitter beat his pitching counterpart thanks to a 3-bustle shot to left:
Los Angeles then engineered a 3-bustle, two-out rally in the seventh after a Chris Taylor double and Mookie Betts single ended in Seager’s 2nd homer, this time a two-bustle shot:
Atlanta by no means critically threatened Los Angeles’ lead in the final three innings, and the Dodgers took Game 5.
Vital Performances
Dodgers SS Corey Seager: 2-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR
Dodgers C Will Smith: 1-for-4, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 HR
Dodgers RP Blake Treinen: 2.0 IP, 1 K
Dodgers SP Dustin Can also fair (No Decision): 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Braves 1B Freddie Freeman: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 2B
Braves C Travis d’Arnaud: 1-for-3, 2 RBI
Braves SP A.J. Minter (No Decision): 3.0 IP, 1 H, 7 K
Braves RP Will Smith (Loss): .1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB
Seager, Smith Propel Dodgers To Safe
The Dodgers trailed Atlanta 2-0 after three innings, and it can per chance also had been worse for L.A. as Atlanta did no longer capitalize on a variety of opportunities to bury its opponent early.
That gave L.A. existence in the guts innings, and Seager and Smith every took advantage.
Seager strolled to the dish in the fourth inning after reliever-grew to become-starter A.J. Minter used to be pulled after tossing three shutout innings with seven strikeouts. In came Tyler Matzek, and out went a 95 mph fastball for a condominium bustle.
As inconsistent because the Dodgers offense has been this postseason, Seager has been anything however, hitting .324 with three home runs and 11 RBI outdated to he stepped foot in the batter’s field on Friday.
Light, the Dodgers needed somebody exterior Seager to step up and ship a big hit, and they also acquired it in the make of Smith, who launched a 3-2 pitch deep into heart for the game-winning homer.
It used to be an fantastic at-bat for Smith, who in the origin fell in the support of 0-2 outdated to taking three balls.
Smith hasn’t had a big postseason: He had a 5-hit game against the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series however used to be in every other case 2-for-27 in the playoffs coming into Friday.
That adversarial success changed Friday, and Will Smith space a document in the technique, per Elias Sports Bureau (h/t Sarah Langs of MLB.com):
Sarah Langs @SlangsOnSports
Will Smith homered off Will Smith, in the 1st identical-identify PA in postseason historical past
Or no longer it is the 1st time in no longer no longer as a lot as the Enlargement Generation (since 1961) that a batter homered off a pitcher with the identical identify (along with traditional-season matchups, since this used to be 1st PS PA)
(h/t @EliasSports)
The Dodgers went support to work in the seventh, and Seager gave the team some extra respiratory room, this atomize day staunch-hander Jacob Webb.
Seager joined some outlandish company after his 2nd homer, per ESPN Stats & Files and Langs:
ESPN Stats & Files @ESPNStatsInfo
Corey Seager is the third player in Dodgers historical past with a multi-HR game when going through elimination (Adrian Gonzalez in 2013 NLCS, Shawn Inexperienced in 2004 NLDS)
Seager can also be the third player with 4 HR and 10 RBI in an LCS, joining Nelson Cruz in 2011 and B.J. Upton in 2008. https://t.co/9r9HsRPGEl
That gave the Dodgers bullpen a 5-bustle cushion with three innings final, and they also safely held onto the lead en route to a Game 5 arrangement shut.
Neglected Opportunities Doom Atlanta Offense
Atlanta is forced to play the “What if?” game after discovering itself with extra than one opportunities for big innings superb to take a look at these possibilities squandered.
Catcher Travis d’Arnaud acquired to the plate with two runners on and one out in the first, and he proceeded to tattoo a Dustin Can also fair pitch deep into staunch.
However, the moonshot stayed in the park and fell into Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts’ glove for a sacrifice wing.
Atlanta led 1-0 in the first and took a 2-0 edge in the 2nd after a Cristian Pache RBI single, striking runners on first and 2nd with one out and the tip of the uncover increasing.
But Ronald Acuna Jr. flew out outdated to Freeman struck out, ending the frame.
The Braves acquired any other rally going in the third after Ozuna and d’Arnaud opened the inning with singles, striking runners on first and 2nd without a out.
After an Ozzie Albies groundout, shortstop Dansby Swanson acquired up and hit a pitch that dovetailed in entrance of Betts however at final fell into his glove appropriate inches off the ground.
Ozuna tagged as a lot as attain, however upon replay assessment, he left too early, and he used to be known as out for a backbreaking double play.
From there, Atlanta needed appropriate one extra out in every of the sixth and seventh innings to leave these frames unscathed, however Smith and Seager’s homers prevented that from happening.
The Braves acquired some runners on in the later innings however couldn’t mount a rally that introduced the tying bustle to the plate, leading to L.A. taking half in a gorgeous drama-free ending to the game.
What’s Next?
Game 6 will arrangement shut suppose on Saturday at 4: 38 p.m. ET in Arlington, Texas’ Globe Life Field. An Atlanta arrangement shut sends the Braves to the World Series. A Dodger arrangement shut forces a chain-deciding Game 7 on Sunday at 8: 15 p.m.
