The Los Angeles Dodgers put forth a team-wide effort in their victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series, receiving a variety of contributions all across their 25-man roster.
Walker Buehler delivered a gutsy performance while clutch home runs by NLCS MVP Cody Bellinger and Yasiel Puig iced a second consecutive trip to the World Series. But an additional key factor in the Dodgers’ win was yet another dominant performance by the bullpen.
Julio Urias was the first reliever to follow Buehler, needing all of three pitches to retire the presumed NL MVP Christian Yelich thanks to Chris Taylor robbing him of a potential game-tying extra-base hit with two outs in the fifth.
August acquisition Ryan Madson took over from there, logging 1.2 scoreless innings before handing the ball to Kenley Jansen and Clayton Kershaw for the final seven outs of the game.
It was Madson’s fifth appearance in the NLCS, as he ultimately allowed only one run over five innings of work against the Brewers. Justin Turner offered high praise for the right-hander, deeming him an underrated part of the Dodgers’ success, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“We found a way to get it done again,” said Justin Turner. “You saw big swings from two guys [Bellinger and Puig] that didn’t have the success this year they wanted. Walker Buehler gave us almost five innings, Ryan Madson is the unsung hero of the entire postseason and our bullpen was outstanding in a series when their bullpen got a lot of the press, a lot of attention. Our guys stepped up and got it done.”
Prior to joining the Dodgers, Madson was in the midst of a disappointing campaign with the Washington Nationals. He found better results with Los Angeles in September, increasing his strikeout percentage while simultaneously cutting back on walks.
Madson, with seven years of postseason experience, has proven to be a worthwhile pickup by the Dodgers. In two series against the Atlanta Braves and Brewers, the 38-year-old has posted a collective 1.42 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with six strikeouts compared to one walk.
Want to get your content COMPLETELY AD FREE? Click here to follow us on Apple News!
