One more to go and the Dodgers can sweep past the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Austin Barnes and Yasiel Puig both drove in two runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 8-5, Saturday evening, taking a two games to none lead in their National League Division Series.
Puig and Logan Forsythe both had three hits as part of the Dodgers 12- hit attack before a sellout crowd of 54,726 at Dodger Stadium.
Game 3 of the best-of-five series will be played Monday in Phoenix. If the Dodgers win, they’ll move on to the next step in the playoffs against either the Chicago Cubs or Washington Nationals. That other National League series is tied 1-1.
And the winner of the National League championship series between — hopefully — the Dodgers and either Washington or Chicago will head to the World Series.
Arizona took a 2-0 lead on Paul Goldschmidt’s two-run homer in the first inning. The Dodgers scored the next seven runs, with Barnes doubling in two runs during a four-run fifth.
The Diamondbacks cut the lead to 7-5 in the seventh on pinch-hitter Brandon Drury’s three-run homer.
The Dodgers combined singles by Forsythe and Puig, a walk to Andre Ethier and an error by Arizona shortstop Ketel Marte on a ground ball hit by Chris Taylor for an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh.
Kenta Maeda, the third of seven Dodger pitchers, was credited with the victory, retiring all three batters he faced, striking out two. Kenley Jansen retired all five batters he faced, striking out two, for the save.
Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray was charged with the loss, allowing four runs (all earned) and four hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out six, walking four, hitting a batter and throwing three wild pitches.
The Dodgers took the lead for good with two runs in the fourth. Forsythe, Barnes and Puig hit consecutive singles with one out, with Forsythe scoring on a wild pitch. Barnes scored on Chris Taylor’s infield single.
Forsythe and Puig had RBI singles in the fifth.
Puig’s ground out brought in Enrique Hernandez with the Dodgers first run in the second. Hernandez walked to lead off the inning, moved to second on a walk to Barnes and to third on a wild pitch by Ray.
— City News Service