All Tied Up
28 Oct, 2017
Young sluggers Cody Bellinger and Joc Pederson, one slumping this Series and the other slumping this season, found redemption Saturday night, keying a late-innings barrage that gave the Dodgers a 6-2 comeback win over the Astros and deadlocked the best-of-seven World Series at two games each.
Bellinger, 0-for-13 with eight strikeouts in the first 3 1/2 games, laced a pair of doubles, the second one in a five-run ninth inning giving the Dodgers the lead. Pederson, a Minor Leaguer in parts of August and September and left off the National League Division Series roster, tomahawked a high Joe Musgrove fastball for a three-run homer to blow open a game that began as a pitchers’ duel between Los Angeles’ Alex Wood, who had a no-hitter through 5 2/3 innings, and Houston’s Charlie Morton, who didn’t allow a run until Bellinger’s first double in the seventh inning.
Wood’s was the longest no-hit bid in Dodgers postseason history, and L.A.’s staff allowed only two hits, both homers.
The Dodgers can take control of the Series in Game 5 on Sunday, when they will send ace Clayton Kershaw to the mound with a chance to take a 3-2 Series lead heading into Game 6 on Tuesday in Los Angeles. The Astros will counter with fellow lefty Dallas Keuchel in a pivotal matchup.
“I can’t wait,” Houston third baseman Alex Bregman said. “I know everyone in here wishes the game was right now. We want to go back out there and play and — I don’t know if redeem ourselves is the right word — but we want to go back out there and play right now. This is the World Series. This is going to be a dogfight.”
Ken Giles, who has allowed a run in six of seven postseason outings this year, started the ninth inning of a tied game and allowed a single to Corey Seager and a walk to Justin Turner before Bellinger put the Dodgers ahead with the RBI double — marking the first time the Astros had trailed at home in the postseason in 71 innings. It also was Houston’s first loss in eight games at Minute Maid Park this postseason.
“They play real well here,” said Pederson. “To show we can come in here and play our baseball is important to all of us in here, and it will be a big game tomorrow.”
The only two hits the Astros managed were homers — by George Springer in the sixth and Bregman in the ninth. Pederson, who spent time in the Minor Leagues fighting out of an offensive slump, was serving as designated hitter for the second consecutive game. He pretty much went crazy rounding the bases.
MLB.com
Image Dodgers twitter
Mentioned In This Post:
