Jake Arrieta took the mound at Dodger Stadium in Game 3 of the National League Division Series for the first time since shutting down the Los Angeles Dodgers in a no-hitter on Aug. 30, 2015. Arrieta threw seven shutout innings at home against the Dodgers this season.
While he pitched well Tuesday night, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner failed to duplicate the aforementioned levels of success. For starters, Corey Seager lined a one-out single into left field in the first inning, ending any thought of another no-hitter coming to fruition.
Then in the third, Seager’s RBI single to right field gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Los Angeles added to their lead in the next inning.
With Josh Reddick standing on third base after reaching on an infield single and stealing two bases, Yasmani Grandal connected on a two-run homer after falling behind in the count, 0-2:
The home run was the first in the postseason of Grandal’s career. It was also his first hit since Game 1 of the NL Division Series.
While Rich Hill continued to shut the Cubs down, it bought time for the Dodgers to strike again. That came in the sixth inning when Justin Turner golfed the first pitch he saw over the center-field fence for a solo home run:
Turner’s solo shot knocked Arrieta out of the game. “I had seen [Arrieta’s slider] a few times,” Turner told Ken Rosenthal during an on-field interview seen on Fox Sports 1.
“I was just looking for something up in the zone. He left the slider up, and I put a good swing on it. Luckily I didn’t miss it. That’s how you have to approach Jake — you have to try to not miss his mistakes, because he doesn’t make very many of them.”
The Dodgers’ 6-0 win was the first postseason shutout in franchise history. It marked the first time since May 2014 the Cubs were held scoreless in back-to-back games.
