Atlanta Braves' Dansby Swanson makes forces out Miami Marlins' Corey Dickerson during the eighth inning in Game 2 of the National League Division Series Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, in Houston. The Braves won 2-0.Michael Wyke/The Associated Press
Rookie Ian Anderson pitched like a poised veteran, right fielder Nick Markakis made a nifty defensive play late and the Atlanta Braves threw another playoff shutout, beating the Miami Marlins 2-0 Wednesday for a 2-0 lead in the NL Division Series.
The Braves have pitched three shutouts in four games this postseason. Travis d’Arnaud and Dansby Swanson each homered for the second straight day, putting Atlanta one win away from a sweep in the best-of-five matchup.
The 22-year-old Anderson scattered three hits and struck out eight over 5⅔ innings. The lanky right-hander who made his major-league debut in late August added to his impressive outing last week in the wild-card series when he fanned nine in six scoreless frames against Cincinnati.
The 36-year-old Markakis helped preserve the shutout and the lead in the eighth.
Corey Dickerson reached on an error by Swanson at shortstop to start the inning, setting up Markakis’s heads-up play. Jon Berti sliced a high fly down the line that Markakis alertly plucked on one hop and, with Dickerson holding up to see if the ball would be caught, threw to Swanson for a forceout at second base in a close play.
Will Smith retired the next two batters and Mark Melancon, Atlanta’s fifth pitcher of the game, closed the combined three-hitter for a save.
Swanson and d’Arnaud provided the offence in this one, with both players hitting solo shots a day after the two hit multirun homers in a huge seventh inning for the Braves in their Game 1 win.
Game 3 is Thursday in Houston.
Players from both teams behaved themselves a day after tempers flared in the opener when Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. was nailed by a 98 mph fastball. Acuna had a quiet afternoon, going 0 for 4 and striking out all four times.
Swanson’s homer off Pablo Lopez put the Braves up 1-0 with two outs in the second inning.
There was one out in the fourth when d’Arnaud launched his soaring home run to left field, where it bounced off a metal sign high on the wall, making a loud bang. Cameras panned to Anderson in the dugout, and the pitcher smiled broadly as he watched the ball sail away.
D’Arnaud’s homer made him the first catcher for the Braves to hit multiple home runs in one postseason since Brian McCann also had two in 2005. He’s made quite a comeback this season after bouncing around between three teams in a tough 2019.
Now he’s helped put the Braves one win away from reaching the NL Championship Series for the first time since 2001 when Bobby Cox was manager and Chipper Jones the team’s star.
They’ve lost in the division series eight times since then, including in the past two seasons – a fact Freddie Freeman said put a chip on their shoulders entering this round.
The Marlins, who made the playoffs for the first time since 2003, bounded their way into this round with high energy and plenty of smiles. They had little reason to grin on Wednesday when they couldn’t scratch a single run across, going 0-4 with runners in scoring position.
It’s put them cusp of losing the first playoff series in franchise history after entering this round 7-0 all-time in the postseason.
They had a chance to cut into the lead in the sixth inning when Berti singled with one out before Darren O’Day took over for Anderson with two outs and plunked Brian Anderson. The veteran reliever then walked Garrett Cooper to load the bases, but the Marlins came away empty when Matt Joyce grounded out to end the inning.
Lopez didn’t pitch badly, allowing just three hits in and striking out seven in five innings. But he was done in by the home runs in his postseason debut after not pitching since Sept. 24.
Dodgers 6, Padres 5
ARLINGTON, Texas — Cody Bellinger homered and robbed Fernando Tatis Jr. of a go-ahead shot, and Joe Kelly got the final out with the bases loaded in a tension-filled ninth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers barely held off the San Diego Padres 6-5 Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in their NL Division Series.
Kelly retired Eric Hosmer on a grounder to earn the save after Dodgers All-Star closer Kenley Jansen wobbled in the ninth. Los Angeles can sweep the best-of-five set from its NL West rival Thursday night.
Bellinger nearly went to a knee to hit a long home run and then kept the Dodgers ahead with a spectacular, leaping catch at the centre-field fence.
The Padres were down one with a runner on and two outs in the seventh when Tatis hit a towering drive to centre. Bellinger ran nearly 100 feet while watching the ball, then jumped and extended his gloved right hand above the 8-foot wall to make the catch.
Brusdar Graterol, the second Dodgers reliever after starter Clayton Kershaw, slung his glove and cap away and thrust both arms into the air to celebrate.
Game 3 is Thursday night, when with a win the Dodgers would advance to the NL Championship Series for the fourth time in five seasons. They went to the World Series in 2017 and 2018 before losing in a five-game Division Series to the Washington Nationals last October.
Corey Seager put the NL West champion Dodgers ahead to stay with his two-run double in the third and scored on the first of Max Muncy’s two RBI singles in the game. Leading off the next inning, Bellinger went after a low pitch and drove it 433 feet to centre to make it 4-1.