NLCS Game 4; ALCS Game 5 GameThreads

Atlanta’s Braves took a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning last night in Game 3 of their NLCS matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but right-handed reliever Luke Jackson gave up four hits and four runs in just a ¹⁄₃ of an inning of work as the home team rallied in what ended up a 6-5 win.

How will manager Brian Snitker’s club react after coming close to a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and then blowing the lead?

“They will be fine,” Snitker said in his post game press conference from LA. “They will come out, they will be ready to play, they’re going prepare as always.

“We have lost tough games before and bounced back and done really good things. So this is just one of them games that it’s like it’s — you got to get 27 outs, man.

“And like I said earlier, you got to make pitches and plays and the whole thing and it just didn’t happen today.”

Dodgers’ skipper Dave Roberts talked after the game about the big three-run home run that Cody Bellinger hit in the eighth, tying things up at 5-5 before a Mookie Betts’ RBI double put them ahead. Roberts’ reaction to Bellinger’s blast?

“Man, pure elation, joy,” he said. “I mean, it’s just hard to imagine a bigger hit that I can remember really, just kind of what was at stake. And couldn’t be happier for him.

“So just what a win. I’m just kind of exhausted right now, but very happy for Cody.”

Who will be the hero in Game 4 in LA?

Houston’s Astros, who dropped a 12-3 decision to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night, falling behind 2-1 in the ALCS, bounced back on Monday with a 9-2 win that evened it up.

Dusty Baker’s club rallied from a 2-1 deficit to tie things up on a José Altuve home run in the top of the eighth inning last night in Fenway Park, and then scored seven runs in the top of the ninth to go up 9-2, with Carlos Correa’s leadoff double off Nathan Eovaldi sparking the ninth-inning rally.

“I mean, this is enjoying baseball as if you are a child,” Baker said of his reaction to the win.

“You know, this is one of the great things about baseball,” Baker added, “you know, when you’re dead in the water and things aren’t going good, and then all of a sudden, boom, boom, boom, and you got seven runs, and that’s what they’ve been doing to us this whole series, and we’re capable of doing that as well.

“But I’ll tell you, that was a huge home run [by Altuve], because it looked like this game could have ended 2-1. We had some big hits. None bigger probably than Carlos’s lead-off double. This guy keeps coming through. You know, this team is close and getting closer.”

Where are the Red Sox, mentally, as a team, after blowing a late lead and an opportunity to go up 3-1 in the ALCS?

“There’s not much to say in that clubhouse,” Sox’ skipper Alex Cora said.

“We know where we’re at. We knew the only thing that was guaranteed after last night was Game 6, right? So they have a good team. I think it was a good game until the end, right?

“We were one pitch away from ending that inning, and it didn’t happen, and then they scored seven.

“So we’ll be ready tomorrow. Just like every day. You win, you turn the page. You lose, you turn the page, and be ready.”

Game 5 of the ALCS kicks things off today at 5:08 PM in Fenway Park, then the NLCS is the late game at 8:08 PM in Dodger Stadium.