Los Angeles, CA (News4usOnline) – After riding high through four games, the Dodgers suffered their first loss of the postseason, falling 4-1 against a Phillies team that all of a sudden has tons of life.
Heading into the night, the Dodgers felt like a near lock to advance to the National League Division Series. Holding a 2-0 lead, they only needed one more win, with two chances at home and one more on the road if necessary. As long as they kept playing the same way they had been during October, they would definitely be booking a trip to the NLCS for the seventh time in the last ten years.
In Game 3, the narrative completely flipped. The top of Philadelphia’s lineup broke out of their funk, propelling an 8-run night, and the Dodgers’ bats went silent. Los Angeles will now have to face Philadelphia’s best pitcher, Cristopher Sanchez, in what feels like a must-win Game 4.
Tommy Edman got the scoring started in Game 3 with a solo shot in the bottom of the third, but the Dodgers’ lead was short-lived.
Kyle Schwarber unleashed the power within Philadelphia’s lineup with a monster 455-foot home run that nearly left the entire stadium. Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm singled, and two more runs scored on an error and a sacrifice fly, making the score 3-1.
“We were missing the slug, missing the homer. And no better person to do it than him,” said Trea Turner. “It’s ridiculous how far that ball went. I think the vibes and the energy are something to build off of. Sometimes it’s hard to create your own momentum, and you’ve got to build off things like that. No better way than the ball leaving the stadium.”
Yoshinobu Yamamoto was hit hard and only lasted 4 innings. Anthony Banda and Jack Dreyer held it down for two frames, but the offense was unable to close the gap at all as Ranger Suarez shut down the Los Angeles bats.
Clayton Kershaw came into the game in what could potentially be his last MLB appearance, and it was not a pretty one. After getting into some trouble in his first inning off work, Teoscar Hernandez made a sliding catch on a Harper flair to right, and Will Smith picked off Schwarber trying to get back to first base to help Kershaw get out of the inning. The Dodger great was shelled in the inning that followed, allowing the Phillies to tack on 5 runs and put the game out of reach.
After so much was made about the top of Philadelphia’s lineup (Turner, Schwarber, Harper, Bohm) going 2-27 through the first two games of the series, they combined to go 9-16 in Game 3.
All of a sudden, the Dodgers’ best player seems to be the one struggling. Shohei Ohtani is 1-14 in the series with 7 strikeouts.
“I just think that his decision-making hasn’t been good,” said Roberts. “He’s really not giving himself a chance to hit a mistake. I just think that he’s in between a little bit, but the swing decisions are just not where they need to be right now.”
The Dodgers did some damage against the Phillies’ ace Sanchez in Game 1, and they will counter with Tyler Glasnow on the mound in Game 4.
“The consensus of this interview feels like we are eliminated. We have to understand that we are still up 2-1. Obviously, there is a lot of pressure on us to play the game, but pressure is a privilege,” said Mookie Betts.
Going back to Philadelphia would not be in the Dodgers’ best interest. Citizens Bank Park is a tough place to play, and if the series pushes to five, all the momentum will be on the Phillies’ side.
Benjamin Verbrugge is a reporter for News4usonline who studied journalism at CSU Dominguez Hills. “Sports have brought me much joy throughout my life, and I want to give a little back to something that has meant so much to me.” Email Benjamin at benverbrugge8@gmail.com.
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