Morning Chop: NLDS Edition 10/7
October 6, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman
Freddie Freeman(5) reacts after striking out in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the National League divisional series playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Morning Chop: Tomahawk Take’s Summary of Atlanta Braves News
Dodgers show off their firepower in 13-6 rout of Braves in Game 3
What initially looked like an unfolding crisis quickly turned into the Dodgers’ loudest statement of the postseason — even louder than the fans at Dodger Stadium who mocked the Atlanta Braves on Sunday night by mimicking the Tomahawk Chop.
In defeating the Braves, 13-6, to take a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-five National League division series, the Dodgers offered a forceful reminder that they possess offensive firepower to overcome almost anything.
Hyun-Jin Ryu melted down spectacularly in his first career postseason start, but the rookie left-hander’s three-inning appearance had little bearing on the final results, as Hanley Ramirez was one of five Dodgers to drive in two or more runs.
“Ryu wasn’t his best, but we picked him up,” second baseman Mark Ellis said. “That’s what good teams do.”
BOX SCORE: Dodgers 13, Braves 6
The Dodgers finished with 14 hits, including home runs by Carl Crawford and Juan Uribe. The team’s run total matched a franchise postseason record, which was set in the second game of the 1956 World Series.
What a Braves fan tweets at 4AM when his team faces elimination
I have a cold and feel like crap and last night’s Braves-Dodgers game was not exactly a big bowl of chicken soup on top of it. So it’s probably not surprising that I went to bed somewhat grumpy, resigned to the fact that Freddy Garcia is all that stands in between the present and the Braves’ elimination. And of course, this wasn’t a recipe for a good night’s sleep, so I was up at 3:53 AM. Here’s what happens on Twitter at that hour when you find yourself in my frame a mind with some cold medicine added on top:
"Annual autumn cold has me up at 3:53 AM desperately parsing Freddy Garcia’s stats for a sliver of hope. None found. Reach for tea, whimper.— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) October 7, 2013"
"I’d feel better if I didn’t think Fredi Gonzalez didn’t just look at his ERA in 27 innings and think “yup, that’s my guy. Look at his ERA!”— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) October 7, 2013"
Whicker: Dodgers’ 25th man delivers
His first victory of the postseason came last Thursday. It might have been the first time he ever got a W in the morning.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Chris Capuano said. “We had a lot of guys they could have picked from. Carlos Marmol was throwing the ball fantastic. You still had Brandon League and Edinson Volquez. We just had a lot of power arms. So I just kept working and hoping.”
Dodgers pitcher Chris Capuano threw three scoreless innings of relief on Sunday to help the Dodgers beat the Brave in Game 3 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium. He was one of the last additions to the Dodgers’ postseason roster.
Don Mattingly reached past the electricity of all those arms and picked Capuano for the 25th seat on the playoff bus. For those of us who have judged the Dodgers manager in hindsight, maybe this was a reason to honor his foresight.
Capuano walked into a grease fire of a baseball game and extinguished it. The Dodgers led 6-4 when he rescued an addled Hyun-jin Ryu. Three innings later, it was 10-4, in the Dodgers’ favor, and it wound up 13-6, and now the Dodgers have a 2-1 division series lead and the chance to clinch it Monday.
Not looking good for Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves ran away with the NL East at 96-66 during the regular season and finished one game behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the best record in the National League and also a game behind the Redbirds and Boston Red Sox for best record in all of baseball, yet that means nothing at this point.
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Julio Teheran pauses on the mound after giving up a three-run home run to Los Angeles Dodgers’ Carl Crawford in the third inning of Game 3 of the National League division baseball series Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)
The Bravos are on life support, ladies and gentlemen, and it is not looking good for them after their 13-6 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in game 3 of the NLDS on Sunday. There are so many things that can be attributed to this.
How about the fact that Atlanta batters have struck out 29 times in three games? That is not likely to garner a series win at all and it’s hard to argue against it being a heavy contribution to why Atlanta is in the shape it is in.