The Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Sunday night to square their National League Division Series at one game apiece, winning a tense bullpen battle at Dodger Stadium with a standout night from center fielder Michael Harris II.
Harris delivered three hits and came a home run short of hitting for the cycle. After singling in the third inning, he tripled with two outs in the fifth and raced home with the go-ahead run when Dodgers reliever Kris Bubic spiked a wild pitch. An inning later, his RBI double to right field against Edgardo Henriquez brought home an insurance run with two outs in the seventh. It was his first postseason triple.
Freeman and Muncy Homer, but Dodgers' Runners Left Stranded
The Dodgers' runs came on solo home runs. Freddie Freeman, facing his former team in the postseason for the first time, tied the score 1-1 with a two-strike solo shot off Braves reliever Grant Holmes in the fourth. Max Muncy's two-strike, two-out homer off rookie Didier Fuentes in the ninth cut the deficit to 3-2 and brought the tying run to the plate. Braves closer Raisel Iglesias, the fifth Atlanta pitcher of the night, induced pinch-hitter Josue De Paula to foul out to third to secure his second save.
Atlanta had struck first on Mauricio Dubon's bases-loaded, two-strike single in the opening inning, scoring Ronald Acuna Jr. after he singled and stole second. The Braves later squandered a bases-loaded chance in the eighth when Roki Sasaki loaded the bases but Acuna hit into an inning-ending double play.
Snell's Short Night, Kerr's Strong Opener
Dodgers starter Blake Snell never found his rhythm, lasting just 3⅔ innings — his shortest postseason outing since 2022 with San Diego. The two-time Cy Young Award winner needed 90 pitches to get 11 outs, throwing only 47 strikes while walking five and striking out five, surrendering one run on three hits. He left the ballpark after the game because of a family emergency and did not speak to reporters.
The Braves countered with an opener strategy, holding ace Chris Sale back for Game 3. Ray Kerr started and fanned four over 2⅔ scoreless innings, while the 21-year-old Fuentes followed with 3⅔ innings of one-run ball. After Mookie Betts walked and Shohei Ohtani singled to open the fifth, Atlanta's bullpen retired the next 14 consecutive Dodgers hitters. The Dodgers stranded seven runners over the first five innings, went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, and saw Ohtani finish 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
The series now shifts to Atlanta for Game 3 on Tuesday, with Sale set to face Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Sources:
- NBC Sports (AP): Michael Harris II leads Braves to 3-2 win over Dodgers in Game 2 to tie NLDS
- theScore: Braves beat Dodgers with bullpen game to even NLDS
Harris delivered three hits and came a home run short of hitting for the cycle. After singling in the third inning, he tripled with two outs in the fifth and raced home with the go-ahead run when Dodgers reliever Kris Bubic spiked a wild pitch. An inning later, his RBI double to right field against Edgardo Henriquez brought home an insurance run with two outs in the seventh. It was his first postseason triple.
Freeman and Muncy Homer, but Dodgers' Runners Left Stranded
The Dodgers' runs came on solo home runs. Freddie Freeman, facing his former team in the postseason for the first time, tied the score 1-1 with a two-strike solo shot off Braves reliever Grant Holmes in the fourth. Max Muncy's two-strike, two-out homer off rookie Didier Fuentes in the ninth cut the deficit to 3-2 and brought the tying run to the plate. Braves closer Raisel Iglesias, the fifth Atlanta pitcher of the night, induced pinch-hitter Josue De Paula to foul out to third to secure his second save.
Atlanta had struck first on Mauricio Dubon's bases-loaded, two-strike single in the opening inning, scoring Ronald Acuna Jr. after he singled and stole second. The Braves later squandered a bases-loaded chance in the eighth when Roki Sasaki loaded the bases but Acuna hit into an inning-ending double play.
Snell's Short Night, Kerr's Strong Opener
Dodgers starter Blake Snell never found his rhythm, lasting just 3⅔ innings — his shortest postseason outing since 2022 with San Diego. The two-time Cy Young Award winner needed 90 pitches to get 11 outs, throwing only 47 strikes while walking five and striking out five, surrendering one run on three hits. He left the ballpark after the game because of a family emergency and did not speak to reporters.
The Braves countered with an opener strategy, holding ace Chris Sale back for Game 3. Ray Kerr started and fanned four over 2⅔ scoreless innings, while the 21-year-old Fuentes followed with 3⅔ innings of one-run ball. After Mookie Betts walked and Shohei Ohtani singled to open the fifth, Atlanta's bullpen retired the next 14 consecutive Dodgers hitters. The Dodgers stranded seven runners over the first five innings, went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, and saw Ohtani finish 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
The series now shifts to Atlanta for Game 3 on Tuesday, with Sale set to face Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Sources:
- NBC Sports (AP): Michael Harris II leads Braves to 3-2 win over Dodgers in Game 2 to tie NLDS
- theScore: Braves beat Dodgers with bullpen game to even NLDS
