For battered, once-mighty Dodgers, talk is cheap against Braves with season on brink

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers tried to say the correct issues Wednesday night time.

They tried to sound optimistic.

They tried to convey hope that their season will keep alive.

Sorry, not a soul fell for the act.

It’s over.

The Dodgers received 106 video games within the common season, received the wild-card recreation towards the St. Louis Cardinals in dramatic vogue and outlasted the San Francisco Giants in a grueling Nationwide League Division Collection. However it should come to a screeching halt Thursday night time at Dodger Stadium.

They realize it.

You already know it.

And Atlanta positive is aware of it.

The Dodgers, after struggling an embarrassing 9-2 loss Wednesday night time to Atlanta in entrance of a subdued crowd of 53,025 at Dodger Stadium, are on the point of elimination within the Nationwide League Championship Collection, trailing Atlanta 3-1, and so they aren’t coming again.

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Certain, they recovered from the identical deficit a 12 months in the past to Atlanta, however that was taking part in in a bubble in Texas, not with Braves ace Max Fried on the mound in Sport 5, with the sequence returning to Atlanta if there’s a Sport 6.

“I might like to go to Atlanta,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts stated. “You by no means need to have your again towards the wall, however now we have a really resilient crew, a really robust crew, and it is not going to get a lot harder than going through Max Fried in an elimination recreation.

“However we have accomplished it earlier than. I actually imagine we’re outfitted to win [Thursday’s] ball recreation.”

Nicely, we’re all outfitted to win the lottery, come across a treasure chest whereas strolling alongside the seashore and have Amazon founder Jeff Bezos really feel responsible about his wealth and reduce a $1 billion take a look at of the kindness of his coronary heart, too.

The Dodgers might have a $270 million payroll — about $120 million greater than Atlanta —however they aren’t outfitted to play with the most popular crew in baseball.

Story continues

“We have been taking part in a .630, .640 win-percentage baseball,” stated first baseman Freddie Freeman, who has seven hits the final two video games, together with a double and homer on Wednesday night time. “So, this is not something new to us. We have been a very good crew for a very very long time, so we have simply been taking part in actually good baseball currently.”

The Braves have misplaced two video games up to now two weeks, together with Sport Four after Cody Bellinger’s miraculous three-run house run tied it within the backside of the eighth inning. Their pitching employees is yielding solely two-and-a-half runs a recreation. Their offense is averaging greater than 4 runs per recreation.

And, oh, yeah, they’ve Fried on the mound for his or her clincher, the identical man who has posted a 1.55 ERA in his final 14 begins.

If the Dodgers can muster solely 4 hits when Atlanta was pitching a bullpen recreation, with Jesse Chavez because the starter, what on the earth do you assume they’re going to presumably do towards one of many best pitchers within the recreation?

“I am positive he is pumped about it,” stated Drew Smyly, Atlanta’s profitable pitcher. “I believe Max lives for these sort of video games. He likes to take the ball and have the second.

Mentioned Roberts: “Fried is not going to really feel sorry for us. He’ll go for the jugular.”

The Dodgers usually are not in fine condition. They’ve starters who’re getting used as relievers, relievers getting used as starters and All-Star place gamers who instantly forgot to hit.

They have been shut out twice within the NLDS, and so they have scored two runs twice in 4 video games of the NLCS.

“I haven’t got a solution,” Roberts stated. “Each time I write the lineup out I really feel superb about our membership and the way we match up, and what we’ll do that specific night time. It simply hasn’t been as constant as anybody anticipated.

“I want I had a solution, imagine me, I do.”

Actually, the dynamic Turner duo (second baseman Trea and third baseman Justin) have performed a big issue within the offensive collapse. They’re hitting .154 this postseason with only one homer and two RBI.

Atlanta left fielder Eddie Rosario is hitting .467 himself with two homers and 6 RBI this sequence, after his 4-for-5, two-homer, four-RBI efficiency Wednesday. He grew to become the primary participant in postseason historical past with two homers, a triple and a single in a single recreation.

Now, one-half of the Turner duo is completed for the season with Justin struggling a Grade 2 hamstring pressure making an attempt to beat out a double-play grounder. He will likely be formally positioned on the injured listing Thursday, Roberts stated, making him ineligible even when the Dodgers miraculously discovered their option to the World Collection.

The Dodgers resorted to just a little psychological warfare after the sport, reminding everybody about their historical past. They not solely recovered from their 3-1 deficit to Atlanta a 12 months in the past, however have received six consecutive elimination video games.

“Nobody wants to essentially inform anybody that we will do it,” Dodgers outfielder A.J. Pollock stated. “We have accomplished it. We have been right here. Clearly, we acquired to grind [Thursday], however we win, we’re not in a foul spot.

“We acquired to regroup. We acquired to get after it. Something can occur if we win [Thursday].’’

Sorry, however occasions are totally different.

They don’t have Clayton Kershaw, whose strained forearm sidelined him earlier than the beginning of the playoffs.

They do not have All-Star first baseman Max Muncy, who dislocated his elbow on the final day of the common season.

They don’t have $102 million man Trevor Bauer, who’s on indefinite administrative depart for sexual assault allegations.

They don’t have Justin Turner.

They don’t have a wholesome three-time Cy Younger winner in Max Scherzer, who revealed after his final begin that he has a useless arm.

They don’t have a contemporary Walker Buehler, whose velocity has diminished the previous few begins.

And so they don’t have the identical 20-game winner in Julio Urias, who has pitched 4 occasions within the final 12 days, and gave up three homers to the primary 11 batters he confronted Wednesday.

Urias refused to make excuses or say that he’s fatigued, believing his woes are merely a matter of Atlanta’s offensive prowess.

“I felt like I gave it 100% of all the things I may do and it simply did not work out,” Urias stated. “Clearly they’re taking part in with loads of confidence. Now we have one other recreation. Now we have an incredible crew right here. And now we have an incredible alternative to do one thing particular.”

It’s simply not going to occur this 12 months.

That is Atlanta’s time, and now that they’ve grasped this chance to succeed in the World Collection for the primary time since 1999, they’re not about to let go.

A brand new World Collection champion is coming.

The Dodgers can solely helplessly watch.

Observe Nightengale on Twitter: @Bnightengale

This text initially appeared on USA TODAY: Dodgers’ season is over as discuss is affordable towards streaking Braves