Braves Take 3-1 NLCS Lead vs. Dodgers as Bryse Wilson Outduels Clayton Kershaw
The Atlanta Braves are one win away from making the World Series for the first time this century after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-2 in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday.
On the mound, Atlanta right-hander Bryse Wilson outdueled three-time NL Cy Young award winner and Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw. Wilson tossed six innings of one-run ball, permitting only two baserunners.
Kershaw cruised through five innings and allowed just one run before struggling in the sixth, giving up a Ronald Acuna Jr. single and doubles to Freddie Freeman and Marcell Ozuna before being removed from the game. Atlanta scored six in the inning to take a 7-1 lead into the seventh.
Ozuna smacked a pair of solo home runs in the fourth and seventh innings in addition to his sixth-inning RBI double and eighth-inning RBI single. He finished 4-for-5 with three runs and four RBI.
Atlanta now leads the best-of-seven series three games to one. The Braves are aiming for their second World Series win in Atlanta since taking the 1995 Fall Classic. They made the World Series four times in the 1990s, with their last appearance in 1999.
The Dodgers are looking for their third NL pennant in four years and first World Series since 1988. They must now win three straight to advance.
Notable Performances
Dodgers SP Clayton Kershaw: 5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (Loss)
Dodgers DH Edwin Rios: 1-for-3, 1 R, HR, 2 RBI
Dodgers 3B Justin Turner: 2-for-4, 1 R, 2B
Braves SP Bryse Wilson: 6 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (Win)
Braves OF Marcell Ozuna: 4-for-5, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR, 2B
Braves 1B Freddie Freeman: 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI
Bryse Wilson Tosses 6-Inning Gem
In the top of the third inning, Dodgers designated hitter Edwin Rios smacked a solo home run to give L.A. a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the fourth, Dodgers second baseman Max Muncy walked with two outs.
Those were the only two Dodgers to reach base against Wilson, who retired 18 of 20 batters on an economical 74 pitches. He got 2018 American League MVP Mookie Betts out three times and 2019 National League MVP Cody Bellinger out twice.
Corey Seager and Justin Turner, who paced the Dodgers' league-leading scoring offense with matching .307 batting averages, went a combined 0-for-5.
Wilson also struck out the side in the fifth with the scored tied at one.
Naturally, analysts were impressed with his work:
His team was appreciative, as well:
Wilson's performance would have been an excellent accomplishment for any pitcher, even aces like Cleveland's Shane Bieber or two-time National League Cy Young award winner Jacob deGrom.
The 22-year-old Wilson entered this game with 15 lifetime appearances (seven starts) over three years with the Braves, posting a 5.91 ERA.
He had pitched just six innings in a game once and five innings or more three total times. Plus, he was facing the great Kershaw, who had just mowed down the Milwaukee Brewers to the tune of 13 strikeouts in eight shutout innings two playoff starts earlier.
On paper, the Dodgers looked like they had a massive edge, but credit to Wilson for shutting down the league's best lineup for six innings.
However, Wilson had fared quite well near the end of the regular season, allowing just three earned runs off 13.0 innings of work (2.08 ERA) and striking out 12.
Whatever clicked for him in September clearly transferred into October baseball as his performance put Atlanta one win away from its first World Series appearance in 21 years.
Kershaw Struggles, But Offense Provides Little Help
The Dodgers have sported an all-or-nothing offense this postseason, and on Thursday, the latter portion of that trend reared its ugly head.
L.A. has scored 55 runs over nine postseason games. That's good enough for an exceptional 6.1 runs per game, but a deeper dive tells a different story.
The Dodgers have scored three or more runs in nine of their 77 innings. If you add those efforts together, then you'll find L.A. posted 40 runs in those nine specific frames.
That's an incredible accomplishment, but it also means L.A. has posted just 15 runs scattered across the other 68 innings.
The Dodgers offense is explosive at its best, but for large stretches of this postseason, it's been cold and carried by a dominant pitching staff.
L.A. only scored seven runs in its two playoff games against the Milwaukee Brewers but was aided by great pitching, namely Kershaw's 13-strikeout gem in Game 2.
The Dodgers offense largely struggled for all but one inning of Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres, but a four-run effort in the sixth helped it earn a 5-1 win thanks to great pitching yet again.
As for what ails this inconsistent offense, that's uncertain, but Dodgers Nation provided a theory:
Perhaps blame will be laid on Kershaw, whose playoff numbers (4.23 ERA entering Thursday) pale in comparison to his regular-season ones (2.43 ERA).
However, Kershaw could have wiggled his way out of the fifth and through the sixth unscathed and still left with the game tied at one apiece because L.A. only had one hit through six.
Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports and Dodger Blue put it best:
The problem is that the Braves have the deepest National League offense of any team not named the Dodgers, and when they're on, the Dodgers' bats must match them.
They haven't, and the Dodgers' pitchers have been hit-and-miss, leading to the Braves holding a 3-1 series edge.
What's Next?
Game 5 will take place on Friday at 9:08 p.m. ET.
A Braves win clinches the NL pennant and confirms a World Series date with the Tampa Bay Rays or Houston Astros. Tampa Bay leads the American League Championship Series three games to two.
