Jhoulys Chacin threw 5.1 scoreless innings before letting Milwaukee’s dominant bullpen close out the game on Monday night, as the Brewers shut out the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 to take a 2-1 series lead in the NLCS.
Chacin allowed just three hits and struck out six in his second postseason start for the Brewers. He has yet to allow a run in the playoffs this year.
Brewers Starters Continue Postseason Domination
For the Brewers, Chacin delivered just the latest in a string of great performances from their starters – whether those pitchers are actually traditional starting pitchers or just openers asked to get a few outs. So far, Brewers starters have a 0.35 ERA in the playoffs.
“Our guys that we’ve given the ball to at the start of the game, they’re doing a heck of a job, man,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said after the win. “They’re setting the tone, really, for games. They’re putting us in a very advantageous position to use our guys in the bullpen. And that’s going to lead to wins.”
Milwaukee got off to a fast start, as a Ryan Braun double knocked in Christian Yelich to give the Brewers a 1-0 first inning lead.
But Dodgers starter Walker Buehler settled in, providing some desperately needed length after short outings by Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu in the first two games of the series. The rookie went seven innings, allowing four runs on five hits.
The Brewers put the game away in the seventh, when Orlando Arcia hit a two-run homer to stretch the lead to 4-0. After hitting only three home runs in the regular season, Arcia has now matched that total in just six playoff games, providing an unexpected offensive spark for Milwaukee after being sent to the minors twice during the regular season.
“Definitely a lot of downs for me and things weren’t going my way, so they sent me down,” Arcia said via a translator after the game. “I was able to work on stuff, recognize pitches especially breaking balls. Now I [make] my adjustments and things have been working better.”
Late Rally Comes Up Short for Dodgers
Despite the seemingly comfortable lead for Milwaukee, the finish wasn’t without drama. The Dodgers loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth before Jeremy Jeffress recorded strikeouts of Yasmani Grandal and Brian Dozier to put the game away.
“I’ve said it all year: I strive for those moments,” Jeffress told reporters. “I didn’t really want it to get like that, but when those times comes, you just have to stay within yourself and continue to be the pitcher you are.”
The win has made Milwaukee a clear favorite to win the NLCS and move on to the World Series. According to Paddy Power, the Brewers are a 4/7 pick to win the series, while the Dodgers are now a 7/5 underdog.
Tuesday’s critical Game 4 will see the Dodgers send Rich Hill (11-5, 3.66 ERA in the regular season) to the mound to face off against Gio Gonzalez (10-11, 4.21 ERA). Also on Tuesday, the Boston Red Sox will take on the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the ALCS, which is currently tied at one game apiece.
