NL DIVISION SERIES
DODGERS 8, DIAMONDBACKS 5
LOS ANGELES -- Yasiel Puig had three hits and drove in two runs, Austin Barnes added a key two-run double and the Los Angeles Dodgers used another relentless offensive performance to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-5 on Saturday night for a 2-0 lead in their NL division series.
Logan Forsythe had three hits and Kenley Jansen earned a flawless five-out save for the 104-win Dodgers, who have made their mediocre pitching irrelevant by pounding out 17 runs and 24 hits in the first two games against their NL West rival.
Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Brandon Drury added a pinch-hit, three-run shot in the seventh, but the Diamondbacks are on the brink of elimination after Robbie Ray and reliever Jimmie Sherfy couldn't contain the Dodgers' lineup.
Game 3 is Monday at Chase Field.
The Dodgers roared to a 9-5 victory on Friday night in Game 1 of the series.
Justin Turner homered and drove in five runs, and Clayton Kershaw won despite giving up four long balls in Friday's game. Puig added an RBI double before Los Angeles made its first out against starter Taijuan Walker, who lasted just one inning in his playoff debut.
With his teammates providing such a generous cushion, Kershaw could afford to allow a few big flies in the first victory of his checkered postseason career at Dodger Stadium. He improved to 5-7 in the playoffs.
Kershaw yielded back-to-back home runs into the short left-field porch by light-hitting Ketel Marte and Jeff Mathis on his final two pitches in the seventh, making him the first pitcher in team history and the eighth in baseball history to give up four home runs in a postseason game.
"Yeah, he gave up four solo homers, but who cares?" said Turner, batting .397 with 17 RBI as of Friday night. "When you have a lead like that, it's about attacking guys, not giving up free bases and pounding the zone. So I thought he was spectacular for us."
Sports on 10/08/2017