Dodgers ride Hernandez, Freeman homers and Yamamoto gem past Braves

The Los Angeles Dodgers inched closer to another National League Championship Series appearance on Tuesday night, beating the Atlanta Braves 3-1 in Game 3 of their NL Division Series at Truist Park. The back-to-back World Series winners now hold a 2-1 edge in the best-of-five matchup, putting them one victory away from advancing.

Hernandez and Freeman supply the power

Los Angeles once again leaned on its power to separate from an opponent. In the top of the fourth inning, No. 9 hitter Enrique Hernandez broke a scoreless tie by driving a changeup from Chris Sale over the fence with a runner aboard. Later in the frame, former Brave Freddie Freeman added another home run, one of the rare long balls a left-handed hitter has managed against Sale this year.

Hernandez’s blast was his 12th postseason home run as a Dodger, moving him up the franchise’s all-time playoff leaderboard. He now trails only Max Muncy, Corey Seager and Justin Turner in that category and has moved ahead of Duke Snider and Shohei Ohtani, who sit at 11. The performance fit with a regular season in which the Dodgers ranked near the top of MLB in slugging percentage and were among the few clubs to clear the 200-homer mark, with several players reaching double digits in long balls.

Yamamoto outduels Sale after early strikeout spree

Once staked to a 3-0 cushion, Yoshinobu Yamamoto took control. The Dodgers ace worked seven innings and yielded only one run, piling up 10 strikeouts against just one walk. The Los Angeles bullpen closed the door from there, holding an Atlanta lineup that had surged in Game 2 to a single run on the night.

Early on, however, it looked like Sale might steal the spotlight. Braves manager Walt Weiss had been able to stay away from him in Game 2, leaving the left-hander fully rested for his start at home. Sale struck out the side in both the first and second innings, becoming only the eighth pitcher in postseason history to record six punchouts over the first two frames. In the third, he touched 100 mph with his fastball against Shohei Ohtani and benefited from a highlight-reel grab in left field by Mauricio Dubón to escape trouble.

The fourth inning changed everything. The two homers he surrendered — including Freeman’s rare opposite-lefty shot — flipped the game in Los Angeles’ favour. As noted by Inside Edge, it was only the second home run allowed to a left-handed batter on a fastball in Sale’s entire career, and just the second homer he had given up to a lefty at all this season. He finished with three runs allowed over five innings, a respectable line that still could not match Yamamoto’s dominance.

Dodgers on verge of advancing as Braves face pressure

With Game 3 in their pocket, the Dodgers will have a chance to close out the NLDS in Game 4 and avoid a winner-take-all finale. The Braves, who had seized momentum by winning Game 2 in Los Angeles, now must respond quickly to keep their season alive. Elsewhere in the National League bracket, the Milwaukee Brewers entered the day leading the San Diego Padres 2-0 in their NLDS, with San Diego trying to stave off elimination at Petco Park.