It's a baseball cliché that pitching wins in the playoffs, but sometimes clichés exist for a reason.
asserted
clichés → win → reason
In game one, Tarik Skubal was dominant for Los Angeles, though was nearly matched by the Atlanta bullpen.
asserted
Skubal → match → bullpen
The Dodgers took control later in the game, but went hitless with runners in scoring position Wednesday despite the 5-3 win.
asserted
Dodgers → take → win
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.
uncertain
page → contain → partners
If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.
uncertain
News → sign → wager
This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.
asserted
that → create → newsroom
Atlanta scratched across three runs against a shaky Blake Snell and a parade of Dodgers relievers, while Ray Kerr and Didier Fuentes, among others, held the powerful LA lineup to just two.
asserted
Kerr → scratch → two
That seemed to shift the series advantage toward the Braves, with Chris Sale scheduled to start Game 3 at home.
asserted
Sale → seem → home
Kike Hernandez and Freddie Freeman touched up Sale for two homers in the fourth inning, but again, LA couldn't score against the Braves relievers.
asserted
LA → touch → relievers
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts got a shaky ninth inning from closer Edwin Diaz to finish it out after a leadoff double.
asserted
Roberts → get → double
Tyler Glasnow started for Los Angeles, coming off a solid, but injury-plagued season.
asserted
Glasnow → start → season
Atlanta countered with Tyler Mahle, who, out of nowhere, had the lowest ERA of any starter traded at this year's deadline.
asserted
who → counter → deadline
And once again, despite the talent in both lineups, runs were hard to come by.
asserted
runs → come → lineups
Atlanta jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first thanks mostly to the speed and baseball IQ of Michael Harris II.
asserted
Atlanta → jump → II
Harris singled to lead off the game
asserted
Harris → single → game
got a running jump to steal second, advanced to third on a grounder, then scored when Glasnow bounced a breaking ball and LA catcher Will Smith couldn't find the ball in time to make a play.
asserted
Smith → get → play
The Dodgers tied it through, well, shockingly similar circumstances.
asserted
Dodgers → tie → circumstances
In the top of the second, Shohei Ohtani walked to lead off the inning, then stole second as Teoscar Hernandez swung through strike three.
asserted
Hernandez → walk → strike
Catcher Sean Murphy's throw got into center, letting Ohtani advance to third.
asserted
Ohtani → get → third
Max Muncy seemingly popped up to short left center, but Mauricio Dubon, one night after robbing Freddie Freeman of a home run, just...dropped it.
asserted
Dubon → pop → it
Ohtani came in to score, tying the game at one apiece.
asserted
Ohtani → come → one
It would stay that way for a long, long time.
asserted
It → stay → time
Glasnow was effectively wild, walking five hitters through 4 2/3 innings, but never allowing Atlanta to break through with a big hit.
asserted
Atlanta → walk → hit
While Ozzie Albies led off the sixth with a double for the Braves, Alex Vesia and Edgardo Henriquez got Drake Baldwin, Lane Thomas, and Mauricio Dubon to end the threat.
asserted
Baldwin → lead → threat
Finally, in the seventh, LA got to the Braves bullpen.
asserted
LA → get → bullpen
Fuentes, virtually unhittable in game two in LA, couldn't find the strike zone after a Teoscar Hernandez single chased Mahle from the game.
asserted
single → find → game
Rookie pinch hitter Josue De Paula walked with two outs, with Kyle Tucker following with one of his own.
asserted
Tucker → walk → own
Braves manager Walt Weiss went to veteran Robert Suarez to face Andy Pages.
asserted
Weiss → go → Pages
But Pages, after starting the count 3-0, laced a line drive single up the middle on 3-2 to score two.
asserted
Pages → start → two
Henriquez pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh, getting Ronald Acuna Jr. to ground out after Michael Harris II doubled with two outs.
asserted
II → pitch → outs
Tanner Scott got the heart of the Atlanta lineup in the eighth, sandwiching a grounder from Ozzie Albies around strikeouts of Olson and Drake Baldwin.
asserted
Scott → get → Olson
In the ninth, Max Muncy provided some further insurance with a long homer to right to stretch the lead to 4-1.
asserted
Muncy → provide → 4
Roberts once again turned to Edwin Diaz to close, despite the veteran closer's awful, injury-filled regular season.
asserted
Roberts → turn → season
But Diaz had a drama-free ninth, striking out Rowdy Tellez looking, getting Dubon and Austin Riley to fly out to right to clinch it.
asserted
Dubon → have → it
For all the talk about LA's star-filled lineup, with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Kyle Tucker, it was Kike Hernandez, Andy Pages, and Max Muncy who helped carry the limited offense and the Dodgers' pitching that helped secure the series.
asserted
that → fill → series
The Dodgers had just one hit with runners in scoring position all series, but did just enough to support their starters and relievers.
asserted
Dodgers → have → starters
The Dodgers have reached their third straight NLCS, after winning championships in 2024 and 2025.
asserted
Dodgers → reach → 2024
They'll face the winner of the Milwaukee Brewers-San Diego Padres series, and with the Brewers up 2-1 in that series, it could set up a matchup of the only two teams to win 100 games in the regular season.
uncertain
it → face → season
And if Milwaukee can avoid using Jacob Misiorowski in the remainder of the series, they'll be able to line him up for two starts in the NLCS, plus a likely relief appearance.
asserted
they → avoid → NLCS
The Braves lineup, even with Harris, Acuna, Olson, Baldwin, Albies, and Riley, had just 18 hits in 124 at-bats.
asserted
lineup → have → bats
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
