Dodgers knot Series at 2-2

The Dodgers' 2017 World Series was on the brink.

After dropping a 5-3 decision on Friday night in a Yu Darvish meltdown, the Dodgers were staring at a 3-1 deficit going into last night's Game Four in Houston.

Enter Alex Wood, Cody Bellinger, Logan Forsythe and Joc Pederson.

Wood pitched 5.2 innings of one-hit ball, Bellinger broke out of a slump with two key doubles, Forsythe delivered a key RBI single and Pederson provided insurance as the Dodgers broke open a pitcher's duel with five runs in the top of the ninth inning enroute to a 6-2 victory to tie the series at 2-2.

Houston managed just two hits off Wood and relievers Brandon Morrow, Tony Watson and Kenley Jansen, both of them home runs. George Springer and Alex Bregman connected off Wood and Jansen for solo shots but that was all the Astros could muster.

Bellinger, who had been mired in deep slump, concentrated on going to left field in batting practice and delivered two key doubles for the Dodgers. Forsythe delivered a clutch scoring single and Pederson capped the ninth inning with a three-run dinger to right off Houston closer Ken Giles.

Pederson was hitting in the DH slot after spending most of the playoffs on the bench. Giles missed high and Pederson clubbed the homer into the right field bleachers.

Clayton Kershaw and Dallas Keuchel square off tonight in Game Five, with the series going back to Los Angeles on Tuesday for Game Six.

Darvish will try to get Dodgers back on track

After Wednesday's dramatic 7-6 extra inning instant classic loss to Houston, the Dodgers will try to regroup tonight in a critical Game Three at Minute Maid Park where Yu Darvish and Lance McCullers will square off.

For Los Angeles, the big question will be how a bullpen that had been nearly invincible will react to losing a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning and giving up six runs in the final four frames as the Astros potent offense came out of a slumber and ignited a home run derby.

Kenley Jansen and Brandon Morrow couldn't hold the lead in the eighth and ninth and Josh Fields got tapped for two homers late in the game as Houston pulled away for the win. A bright note for the Dodgers was a power surge that included homers from Joc Pederson, Corey Seager, Yasiel Puig and Charlie Culberson, who is carving out a role in the post season.

Pederson had all but been written off before Game Two and Culberson, an emergency call up for Corey Seager, is proving to be more than ready for the big stage.

Game Three in Houston tonight will be pivotal, as the Dodgers want to avoid going down 2-1 with two more games to play at Minute Maid.

Darvish has been lights out in the post season and the Dodgers need a big game from him tonight. Games Three through Five will also give Dave Roberts an extra bat in the lineup with the DH in the American League park.

Look for Pederson, Andre Ethier, Yasmani Grandal and Kike Hernandez to show up in the DH spot.

Kershaw shines on World Series stage

Clayton Kershaw has had a Hall of Fame career as a pitcher for the Dodgers.

Last night he stepped onto the World Series stage for the first time and it was not too big for him.

Kershaw held the Houston Astros to one run on three hits and struck out 11 through seven innings, earning a 3-1 victory in Game One.

Chris Taylor hit the first pitch of the game off Dallas Keuchel into the left field bleachers and Justin Turner hit a winning two-run homer to left off Keuchel in the sixth to give Los Angeles the 1-0 lead in the series going into Game Two.

Kershaw now has a 1.29 ERA in the 2017 playoffs -- so much for him not being able to pitch when the lights are bright.

Keuchel was Houston's ace until the acquisition of Justin Verlander and he pitched well, other than the home run balls surrendered to Taylor and Turner.

After Kershaw went seven strong innings and threw only 82 pitches he was ready to pitch the eighth inning. Dave Roberts knew better, bringing in Brandon Morrow for the eighth and Kenley Jansen for the ninth, neither of them giving up a hit.

Houston should have the edge tonight with Verlander going against Rich Hill but the Dodgers should challenge. L.A. has now won eight of nine games in the playoffs and are looking more and more like the team that went 43-7 in June and July.

Dodgers 2017: the making of a World Series season

The Dodgers won a league-high 104 games this year and at one point Sports Illustrated called them the best baseball team ever.

Within days of the magazine's publication, the team that went 43-7 in mid-summer fell from the stratosphere with a thud, playing .500 ball in August and September, at one point losing 15 of 16.

They finished on a high note, winning eight of 10, but the Dodger faithful still wondered which team would show up in the playoffs - the red-hot boys of summer or the doldrum Dodgers of August and September.

Arizona found out quickly and convincingly in the NLDS, getting swept in three games and wondering what happened to the team they had beaten six times a row and held an 11-8 season record over?

"Next Man Up" would be a good calling cry for these Dodgers.

Adrian Gonzalez went down early and rookie Cody Bellinger showed up to hit 39 homers and play a stingy defense at first base. Andrew Toles went down with a season-ending injury and Chris Taylor emerged as a centerfielder and rally starting leadoff man. Yasmani Grandal struggled at the plate and Austin Barnes won the full time catching job by the time the playoffs came around.

The Dodgers lost Corey Seager for the NLCS and Charlie Culberson was summoned from Oklahoma City to fill in. Culberson and Taylor platooned at short and the Dodgers didn't miss a beat.

Then there's Enrique "Kike" Hernadez. A versatile utility player, Hernandez got the start in Game Five and crushed three homers to lead the Dodgers to an 11-1 route.

Justin Turner, Yasiel Puig and Taylor have wielded the hottest bats but the role players have stepped up, providing punch all through the lineup.

Then there's Kenta Maeda. A starter all season, Maeda was shipped to the bullpen for the playoffs and has emerged as a shut down middle reliever. Maeda, Brandon Morrow and Kenley Jansen, with spot help from Tony Cingrani, Tony Watson, Josh Fields and Brock Stewart didn't allow the Cubs to score in five games.

The starters, led by Clayton Kershaw, have pitched well, aided by the fact they didn't have to go longer than five or six frames with Maeda, Morrow and Jansen waiting in the wings. Manager Dave Roberts has had a short hook with his starters due to the fact his pen has been so dominant.

Yu Darvish, Rich Hill and Alex Wood have all pitched well, giving the Dodgers starting pitching depth they have not seen in years. No longer does Kershaw have to pitch on limited rest and carry the weight of the pitching staff on his shoulders.

These Dodgers are deep.

Houston will be a formidable opponent, no doubt, but these Dodgers should seriously contend
for the team's first title since 1988.

Dodgers win the pennant! Dodgers win the pennant! Dodgers win the pennant! Dodgers win the pennant!

Clayton Kershaw tossed six innings of three-hit ball and reserve outfielder Kike Hernandez smashed three home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in seven RBI as the Dodgers posted an 11-1 victory over the Cubs to win the National League Championship Series and earn their first trip to the World Series since 1988.

The Dodgers dominated the defending champs in a 4-1 series victory that came on the heels of a three game sweep of Arizona in the division series.

Los Angeles now awaits the winner of the American League Championship Series, where the Yankees hold a 3-2 edge over the Astros going into Friday's Game Six.

Kershaw, who has struggled some in the post season, exorcised his demons with a strong outing that was backed up by relief pitchers Kenta Maeda, Brandon Morrow and Kenley Jansen.

The Dodger bullpen set a major league record for scoreless innings, going the entire playoff without giving up a run.

Chris Taylor and Justin Turner were named co-MVPs for the NLCS but Yasiel Puig and Jansen could have easily won the award as well.

Charlie Culberson, who spent most of the season in Triple-A, played a stellar shortstop and went 3 for 5 at the plate, including a triple. Cody Bellinger also went 3 for 5 as the Dodger bats racked up 16 hits against Chicago pitching.

Cubs starter Jose Quintana, who stifled the Dodgers in Game One, lasted only two innings as the Dodgers  scored in the first two innings before putting up a five spot in the third inning.

Chicago forces Game Five

Chicago second-sacker Javier Baez hit two good pitches for home runs off of Alex Wood, catcher Willson Contreras added a third and Jake Arrieta pitched a strong game as the Cubs downed the Dodgers 3-2 last night to live another day in the National League Championship Series.

The Dodgers, up 3-1 in the series, got solo homers from Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner but fell a run short in their attempt to sweep the reigning World Series champions.

The Dodgers send Clayton Kershaw to the mound tonight in a matchup against Chicago's Jose Quintana, who pitched well in Game One.

Cubs closer Wade Davis held the Dodgers to one run in a six-out save last night but threw 48 pitches in the two innings to hold off Los Angeles. The Cubs say Davis, who had a seven-out save against Washington in the NLDS, will not be available tonight, putting more pressure on a fragile Chicago bullpen.

Wood, who hadn't pitched since September, gave up three homers but actually pitched pretty well. Contreras' blast was a no-doubter but credit Baez with taking two out-of-the-zone pitches off his shoe tops and driving them into the bleachers.

If the Dodgers cannot close out the Cubs tonight at Wrigley they will have two chances to get to the World Series in Games Six and Seven in Los Angeles, if necessary.

Dodgers edge ever closer to World Series

Yu Darvish pitched 6.1 innings of dominant ball, Chris Taylor homered and tripled for a pair of RBI and Andre Ethier made an appearance with a second inning jack to right field as the Dodgers downed the Cubs 6-1 last night to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the NLCS and bring anguish to Wrigleyville.

The Dodgers are now a win away from returning to the World Series for the first time since 1988 and they are doing it with a flourish.

The Dodgers have won six games in a row in the playoffs with a three-game sweep of Arizona in the NLDS preceeding their strong start against the defending champions.

Los Angeles has two tries to clinch tonight and tomorrow night in Chicago or face a return to L.A. with the Cubs now facing elimination in every game.

The Dodgers will send southpaw Alex Wood (16-3, 2.72 ERA) to the hill against Chicago's Jake Arrieta (14-10, 3.53 ERA) for Game Four.

The Dodgers used the same script as in the previous wins against the Cubs: strong starting pitching, timely hitting and a bullpen that doesn't give up much.

Tony Watson and Brandon Morrow pitched in the seventh and eighth innings before Ross Stripling came in for the ninth. Stripling surrendered two hits, the first off L.A. relievers in the series, so Dave Roberts called on Kenley Jansen to shut down the Cubs, which he did, getting Addison Russell to pop out and Tommy LaStella and Ian Happ on strikes to end the game.

Darvish, now 2-0 in the playoffs, is proving his trading deadline acquisition was a smart move. Darvish is 5-0 in his last five starts with an impressive 0.88 ERA.

Dodgers stun Cubs for 2-0 series lead

Justin Turner's three-run walk off homer to center field in the bottom of the ninth inning tonight gave the Dodgers a 4-1 victory over the Cubs and a 2-0 lead in the National League Championship Series.

The series now moves to Chicago for games three through five under the 2-3-2 playoff format.

Rich Hill went five innings in a matchup with Chicago ace Jon Lester that turned into a pitcher's duel knotted at 1-1 in the ninth before Turner deposited a John Lackey breaking ball into the center field bleachers.

A weakness in year's past, the Dodger bullpen has emerged as one of the team's strengths as Brandon Morrow, Josh Fields, Tony Watson and Kenley Jansen combined for four innings of no-hit ball to secure the win.

Tonight's drama filled victory came on the heel's of Saturday's 5-2 win over the Cubs that featured four innings of no-hit ball from relievers Tony Cingrani, Kenta Maeda, Morrow, Tony Watson and Jansen after Kershaw went five innings.

Yasiel Puig, Chris Taylor and Justin Turner were the offensive heroes on Saturday with Puig and Taylor going yard and tonight it was Turner knocking in the tying run in the fifth inning with an opposite field single to right before his ninth inning game-ender.

Shortstop Charlie Culberson, filling in for the injured Corey Seager, had a key sac fly in last night's game and had a pair of hits tonight, including a crucial double in the gap to left center which eventually turned into a Dodger run on Turner's single.

Culberson spent most of the season in Oklahoma City but is making the most of his sudden roster call for the playoffs.

Hill and Lester pitched to a standoff tonight but the Dodger bullpen that was better than Chicago's for the second straight night.

The Dodgers will send Yu Darvish to the hill on Tuesday to face Chicago's Kyle Hendricks in a must-win game for the Cubs.

Dodgers get a rematch with Cubs

After a wild 9-8 win over the Nationals in Washington late last night, the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs are headed to Los Angeles for a rematch of the 2016 National League Championship Series starting tomorrow night in Chavez Ravine.

The Cubbies dispatched the Dodgers in six games a year ago but  the script has been flipped. This year the Dodgers hold the home field advantage and came into the playoffs with the best record in baseball.

As a Dodger fan, I was pulling for the Cubs to advance because I would rather see the Dodgers face off against Cubs pitchers John Lester (13-8), John Lackey (12-12), Jose Quintana (7-3) and Kyle Hendricks (7-5) than Washington's Max Scherzer (16-6), Steven Strasburg (15-4), Gio Gonzalez (15-9) and Tanner Roark (13-11).

The Nationals pitching kept the Cubs bats in check until last night's offensive explosion.

Not to suggest the Cubs will be an easy task. But I think last year's team was on a historical mission while this year's version is trying to make it two in a row -- not an easy thing to do.

The 2017 Dodgers are new and improved from the 2016 version. Here's why:

• Yu Darvish (4-3), Rich Hill (12-8) and Alex Wood (16-3) join Clayton Kershaw (18-4) in a much deeper starting pitching rotation. 
• Brandon Morrow and Kenley Jansen are tough to beat in the eighth and ninth innings and late season acquisitions Tony Watson and Tony Cingrani provide left-handed spot relief.
• Kenta Maeda's proving to be a beast in middle relief.
• Cody Bellinger is a threat, Justin Turner is solid, Corey Seager is a year older and wiser, Chris Taylor is a true lead-off hitter, Yasiel Puig is maturing, Austin Barnes can rake and catch, Logan Forsythe provides a strong right-handed bat, Curtis Granderson can be streaky hot and Dave Roberts has plenty of options off the bench with Chase Utley, Yasmani Grandal, Andre Ethier and Kiki Hernandez ready to contribute.

The window of opportunity is there for the Dodgers this year. The rotation is set, the home crowd is juiced and the Cubs come into LA after a tough series with the Nats while the Dodgers have been resting after sweeping Arizona.

It's time for Dodger baseball.

Boys of Summer are back

Going into the National League Division Series against Arizona, the Dodger faithful wondered which version of the team would show up in the playoffs -- the team that owned the summer and built a 20-game lead in the standings -- or the team that limped to the finish line playing .500 ball in August and September?

Thankfully, it was the former.

The Dodgers rolled through the D-Backs in a three-game sweep and now wait for the outcome of the Cubs-Nationals series for their Saturday opponent.

The NLDS win over Arizona showcased the depth Los Angeles enjoys. Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill and Yu Darvish started the three games but it was the bullpen that sparkled. Kenta Maeda bolstered the pen with his presence as a middle reliever and Brandon Morrow and Kenley Jansen are now solidified in the setup and closer roles. Alex Wood was slated to start Game Four but was not needed.

Other Dodgers have emerged. Yasiel Puig is starting to fulfill the potential we saw as a rookie. Austin Barnes is forcing Roberts to start him over Yasmani Grandal at catcher. Justin Turner is a pure hitter and his .377 career batting average in the playoffs in ridiculous.

Chris Taylor now owns the leadoff spot and plays a decent centerfield. Corey Seager is the real deal at short and at the plate and Logan Forsythe is showing why the Dodgers went out and got him to play second base and provide some pop from the right side.

Then there's Cody Bellinger. The rookie was quiet the first two games but broke out with a dinger and several stellar defensive plays in the 3-1 series clincher.

The Dodgers looked more like the Boys of Summer this weekend than the sluggish team of August and September.

That may not bode well for Chicago or Washington in the NLCS.

Will elusive Big Mo return to LA?

All sports fans will tell you that momentum is everything.

Sometimes momentum shifts on a single play, a single pitch, a single diving catch in the outfield.

We often hear professional athletes say that their sport is as psychological as it is physical.

The 2017 season has been a roller coaster for the Dodgers. A roller coaster that started slowly with a 14-13 record in April and improved to a 19-9 mark in May.

Over the summer, the Dodgers heated up, going on ridiculous winning streaks, posting a 21-7 record in June and 20-3 mark in July.

Things were rolling along until late August when the Dodgers hit the wall. They lost 11 in a row but more importantly the mojo that allowed them to own the league for months evaporated as they slowed to 17-10 in August and a dismal 13-17 record in September, salvaged by winning eight of the last 10 games to end the season.

Arizona, which knocked off Colorado 11-8 in a Wild Card slugfest, will be the first round opponent for Los Angeles.

On paper, the Dodgers have the edge. Arizona starters Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray were both used in the Wild Card game against the Rockies, meaning the Diamondbacks will start the series with their No. 3 starter, Tajuan Walker, who posted a 9-9 record and 3.49 ERA.

Walker will match up against Clayton Kershaw and his 18-4 record and 2.31 ERA.

But if other MLB playoff games are any indications, starting pitchers are fair game in 2017. Greinke, Boston's Chris Sale, New York's Luis Severino and Colorado's Jon Gray all made early exits in their 2017 playoff debuts with their teams having to go heavy into the bullpens.

The big question for Los Angeles and skipper Dave Roberts is can his squad recapture the magic of May, June and July and somehow erase the mediocrity of August and September when the club struggled to a  30-27 record?

Tonight we get a glimpse of what the answer will be.