Propelled by Clayton Kershaw’s dominant outing, the Los Angeles Dodgers earned a 3-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.
Those three runs proved sufficient for Kershaw, who compiled eight shutout innings on only 85 pitches before handing the ball to closer Kenley Jansen in the ninth.
It was Manny Machado that kickstarted the Dodgers’ scoring effort with a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the first. Yasmani Grandal later added an insurance run via solo shot in the fifth off Braves starter Anibal Sanchez, on an 0-2 count nonetheless.
Grandal revealed afterward that he struggled locating the ball out of Sanchez’s hand, but managed to square up a fastball when the right-hander failed to hit his spot, per SportsNet LA:
“I was just trying to see the ball. It felt for me like I couldn’t see anything coming out of his hand. If I don’t see anything coming out of his hand, my timing is all messed up, so I told myself to get a two-strike approach. See it as much as I could and react. Just so happened he missed with a fastball in, and I was able to hit it out.”
While the Dodgers have produced nine runs in two games against the Braves’ pitching staff, Grandal has struggled to find his groove thus far. Through seven plate appearances in the NLDS, he’s hitting .143/.143/.571 — with his lone hit being the home run.
Still, Grandal registering his first hit of the series in home run fashion has to serve as a confidence booster for him going into Sunday’s Game 3 at SunTrust Park.
The Dodgers can advance to their third consecutive NL Championship Series with a win over the Braves, as rookie Walker Buehler gets the nod for his first career postseason start.
