NLCS Game 5 GameThread: Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers

Atlanta’s Braves are one win away from returning to the World Series for the first time since 1999, when they were swept in four straight by the New York Yankees. With a 9-2 win in LA’s Dodger Stadium late last night, Brian Snitker’s ballclub took a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven NLCS matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the Braves’ skipper said he knows that it’s always tough to get that final win.

“It is hard,” Snitker told reporters.

“I mean, as we saw last year, winning a game is hard, especially a veteran team like this that we’re playing. And number one, it’s hard to win here, number two, it’s hard to win a major league game, but I feel good about our club just from what we experienced last year and where these guys are.”

Acknowledging that his club now has to win three straight to avoid elimination, Dodgers’ skipper Dave Roberts said after last night’s loss that the focus would as always be on the task at hand, winning Game 5.

“Honestly, I’m thinking about, and I expect our guys to think about tomorrow and tomorrow only,” Roberts explained.

“Looking at how we’re going to be able to prevent runs tomorrow. And it’s going to be a bullpen game. I feel very confident, and now it’s, on the other side is how we’re going to attack [Braves’ starter Max] Fried, who is throwing the baseball well and he’s their ace.”

Roberts’ club has won six straight elimination games, however, going back to last year, so ...

“You never want to have your back against the wall,” Roberts said. “That’s not how you draw it up. But it’s a very, we have a very resilient team, a very tough team, and it’s not going to get much tougher than facing Max Fried in an elimination game, but we’ve done it before.

“Like I said, we got to win tomorrow and I really believe we’re equipped to win tomorrow’s ballgame.”

Will the Dodgers live to play another day? Or are the Braves going back to the Fall Classic?

Tonight’s game gets underway at 8:08 PM ET from Chavez Ravine...