Yamamoto is dominant again as Dodgers ride homers from Hernández and Freeman to 3-1 win over Braves

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The Braves hoped giving Sale extra rest would be a winning formula in the pivotal third game. Instead, after stranding six runners in the first three innings, he gave up the two-run homer to Hernández and a solo shot to former Braves star Freddie Freeman in the fourth.

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Ozzie Albies opened the Atlanta ninth with a double off the right-center wall against Edwin Díaz and moved to third on Michael Harris II’s groundout. Díaz stranded the runner when Mauricio Dubón fouled out to right field and Mike Yastrzemski grounded out to shortstop Mookie Betts.

Dubón made a leaping catch over the left-field wall to rob Freeman of a home run in the third. Freeman wouldn’t be denied an inning later. Hernández’s homer to left drove in Andy Pages, who singled. One out later, Freeman pulled his 18th career postseason homer to right field for a 3-0 lead.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts moved designated hitter Shohei Ohtani down to No. 5 in the lineup because Ohtani was 3 for 15 in his career against Sale. Ohtani went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts against Sale when the Dodgers lost 1-0 on Aug. 26 in Atlanta.

Roberts correctly predicted Ohtani would have opportunities with runners on base hitting lower in the order.

With runners on first and second in the first, Sale struck out Ohtani to end the inning. With two runners on base in the third, Ohtani reached on catcher’s interference by Drake Baldwin to load the bases before Miguel Rojas ended the inning with a flyball to right field. Ohtani walked to lead off the eighth against Brent Suter, Atlanta’s fourth pitcher.

Baldwin’s bases-loaded grounder to first base drove in Dubón, who singled, in the fifth for Atlanta’s only run.

Rojas left during an at-bat in the eighth. The second baseman appeared to injure his back on a swing and was replaced by Tommy Edman. The Dodgers announced the injury as lower back pain.

Tanner Scott added two strikeouts in a scoreless eighth for Los Angeles.

Up next

Braves right-hander Tyler Mahle is expected to face Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow in Game 4 on Wednesday night. Mahle said Tuesday an abdominal pull is now a “non-issue.” He felt the pull before allowing one run in seven innings of a 4-3 loss to Philadelphia in 10 innings during the NL Wild Card Series last week.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Charles Odum, The Associated Press