Less than 24 hours after wrapping up Game 2 of their National League Division Series matchup, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals met for a third game in as many days. Game 3 was the Dodgers’ first at home this postseason, and also marked the first time they faced a left-handed starter in the playoffs.
Kenta Maeda went into his first career postseason start expecting the pressure and excitement to be at a high level, which he said put an emphasis on pitching with a good pace. The first inning was far from ideal for the right-hander.
Maeda opened the game with three straight fastballs to strike out Trea Turner. Jayson Werth flared a single into right field on the ninth pitch of his at-bat, and Bryce Harper worked a walk.
Maeda continued to nibble at the corners of the strike zone and walked Anthony Rendon to load the bases. He then came right back with three straight sliders to strike out Ryan Zimmerman to end the inning without allowing a run across. Though, Maeda did throw 28 pitches.
After Gio Gonzalez walked Justin Turner with one out, Corey Seager hit an RBI double to the right-center field gap. Seager improved to 3-for-3 with two home runs and the double in his first at-bat of each game in the series.
Facing the bottom of the Nationals’ lineup in the second inning, Maeda was much more efficient as he picked up a pair of strikeouts and retired the side in order on nine pitches. Gonzalez similarly settled in, and benefitted from Joc Pederson getting called out on a foul tip.
The ball appeared to graze Pederson’s hand, and the Dodgers challenged the call, but to no avail. Trea Turner lined a leadoff single into center field, and scored on Werth’s double down the right-field line. The Dodgers did their best to make the play at the plate close, but Turner’s speed was the difference.
Harper’s RBI single gave the Nationals a lead, and Anthony Rendon’s two-run homer extended it to 4-1 before Maeda could get out of the inning. That also marked the end of his afternoon as he was pinch-hit for by Austin Barnes to lead off the bottom of the third.
He struck out and Howie Kendrick was stranded after hitting a one-out double to center field. Pedro Baez needed just 10 pitches to retire Gonzalez, Turner and Werth in the fourth inning. Gonzalez, a pitcher susceptible to home runs this season, got through a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth on three deep fly balls.
With one out in the bottom of the fifth and Pederson on first base after lining a single into right field, Carlos Ruiz woke up the crowd at Dodger Stadium with a pinch-hit, two-run homer.
Ruiz’s pinch-hit home run was the Dodgers’ first in the playoffs since Orlando Hudson in Game 5 of the 2009 NL Championship Series. Prior to that, it of course was Kirk Gibson in Game 1 of 1988 World Series.
Sammy Solis replaced Gonzalez and worked around a two-out walk to end the inning with the Nationals’ lead cut to 4-3. Grant Dayton allowed a leadoff single before striking out Stephen Drew. Josh Fields then took over for the Dodgers, struck out Turner, but walked Werth.
Luis Avilan came on to face Murphy, threw a wild pitch during the at-bat, but stranded both runners by getting a strikeout. The Dodgers didn’t muster anything off Solis in the bottom of the sixth other than an Adrian Gonzalez one-out base hit.
Oliver Perez struck out Pederson to start the bottom of the seventh, then allowed a base hit to Chase Utley, who entered as part of a double switch in the top half of the inning. Shawn Kelley came on in relief and retired Kendrick and Justin Turner.
Joe Blanton struck out the side in the eighth to give him 1.2 scoreless innings pitched on the afternoon. But the Dodgers continued to scuttle against the Nationals’ bullpen, as Kelley retired Seager, pinch-hitter Andrew Toles and Gonzalez in order.
Werth tagged Kenley Jansen for a towering solo home run to open the ninth. Jansen then walked Murphy and grazed Harper’s jersey to put two on with nobody out. Zimmerman drove a deep fly ball to right field that Josh Reddick inexplicably made a leaping attempt for despite having room for a traditional catch.
The ball hit the heel of his glove, resulting in a two-run double. That forced Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to call on Ross Stripling to preserve Jansen for Tuesday. Stripling allowed another run to come across on a sacrifice fly before ending the inning.
Despite it being a non-save situation, Mark Melancon finished out the Nationals’ 8-3 victory to put the Nationals within one win of reaching the NLCS.
