National League Divisional Series
Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets
The Dodgers were on the brink of elimination after being beaten 13-7 by the Mets in Game 3. The Dodgers have Game 1 starter Clayton Kershaw going up against Mets rookie Steven Matz. Kershaw pitched six and two thirds innings in Game 1, giving up three runs on four hits and four walks, while striking out 11. Three of those walks came in the seventh inning, and two of them scored. Matz was 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA in just six Major League starts. He has not given up more than three runs in any of those starts. He faced the Dodgers in July and pitched six shutout innings.
Matz opened the game by striking out Enrique Hernandez. Howie Kendrick flied out softly to right field and Adrian Gonzalez grounded out to short to finish a perfect inning for Matz.
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Curtis Granderson led off the bottom of the first by lining into the defensive shift for the first out. David Wright worked a full count before drawing a one-out walk. Daniel Murphy was out on a soft line drive to right-center field, brining up Yoenis Cespedes up with a runner on first and two outs. Cespeded grounded into a force out at second to end a scoreless first inning.
Matz worked around a one-out walk to record another scoreless inning. Kershaw pitched a 1-2-3 inning, finishing with a pair of strikeouts.
Clayton Kershaw had a one-out single for the first hit of the game for either team. Hernandez grounded into a force out to bring up Kendrick with a runner on first and two outs. Kendrick singled with Hernandez running, and the Dodgers had runners at first and third with two outs. Gonzalez blooped a single to center field to score Hernandez for the first run of the game. Justin Turner ripped the ball down the third base line for a double. Kendrick scored, then Gonzalez scored when Cespedes booted the ball in left field. Corey Seager grounded out to end the inning with the Dodgers leading 3-0.
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Kershaw responded the way veteran pitchers usually do, he had a shut down inning. The Dodgers scored three in the top of the inning, and Kershaw set the Mets down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.
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A.J. Ellis had a one-out single in the fourth inning, giving him a Dodger franchise record 12 game postseason hitting streak. Matz would work around that for another scoreless inning.
Murphy turned on an 0-1 cutter from Kershaw and deposited it over the right field wall for a one-out home run to cut the lead to 3-1. It was the second time he took Kershaw deep in the series. Kershaw got the next two batters to limit the damage to just one run.
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Kershaw went seven innings, giving up just one run on three hits and one walk while striking out eight. The only run came on Murphy’s fourth inning home run. Kershaw avoided the seventh inning walks that did him in during Game 1, a 3-1 loss. This time, he finished strong. He gave up a swinging bunt single to Cespedes to lead off the inning, but a pop out, fly out, and ground out got him out of the inning with no harm done.
Chris Hatcher and Kenley Jansen combined for two scoreless innings to finish off the game. The eighth inning got a little dicey with a pair of two-out walks, but Murphy flew out to right field to end the threat.
Jansen struck out the first two batters in the ninth, then got Lucas Duda to fly out to center to end the game. The Dodgers tied up the series at two games apiece and forced a Game 5 back in Los Angeles.
Player of the Game: Justin Turner
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Turner went one for three with a walk and two runs driven in. His two-run double proved to be the difference in the game. He also had a great play on a hot shot to third base to end the seventh inning.
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Game 5 (Series tied 2-2)
Game 5 shifts back to Los Angeles. The Mets are sending Jacob deGrom to the mound. DeGrom went seven scoreless innings in Game 1 and struck out 13. The Dodgers are expected to counter with Zack Greinke. Greinke went seven innings in Game 2, giving up two runs on five hits and striking out eight. The winner of this game will host the Cubs in the National League Championship Series starting on Saturday.